Shadows & Blood
by rewind gone nuts
Summary: Taken from Nerima and stripped of much of his strength by a spell gone wrong, Ranma must gain new abilities and powers to face off against an enemy that seeks not only his soul, but those of Earth as well.
1. Chapter 1

Shadows & Blood 

_Disclaimer: Neither Gideon020 nor I own Ranma ½ or any related characters in any way, shape or form. The Realm of Dark Skies, and all attendant characters/concepts, is our mutual creation and thus legally ours. Note: set late 6th season of the anime, like all my works._

**Author's Notes:** at long last, I return to the writing scene, in co-operation with Gideon020. This is our first actual project together, and there are three more planned after this. Once those are finished, the two of us intend to rewrite and resurrect "And Hell Followed With Him" and "Me and My Infernal Shadow". Unfortunately, due to a computer error, both my copies of those stories have been erased- which means that we will be redoing them from the beginning. Hopefully, this will make them better than they were before. Before anyone asks, work is unlikely to resume on "Waaagh Ranma" unless I regain my inspiration for it.

Prologue: Called to Hell

Dawn was breaking in Nerima, and so far it looked like it was going to be a beautiful day. The air seemed to ripple with peaceful energy as birds sang merrily and flowers gently put forth their most spectacular blooms. Yes, it looked like a beautiful day. Until the peace and tranquility was broken by a loud splash, followed by a feminine voice raised in a furious bellow.

"DAMN YOU OLD MAN!"

"Hah! If you can't guard against a simple attack like that, how can you call yourself a martial artist boy?" Genma laughed, ducking beneath Ranma-chan's retaliatory kick.

"You grabbed me while I was asleep! How was I supposed ta guard against that?" Ranma retorted, lunging forward in a grapple attack. And so the usual routine continued, with Ranma and her father sparring until Kasumi had breakfast ready, whereupon Ranma finally dunked Genma in retaliation, turned himself back into a boy and sat down to eat. Finally, Ranma and Akane set off to school, in their usual hurry to get there without being late. Well, sort of…

"Are you okay Ranma? You look… tired." Akane asked. It was true; Ranma did look like he hadn't gotten much sleep- to the extent that he was actually lagging behind slightly on the fence. The truth was that he was tired; he hadn't slept a wink last night due to constant, terrible nightmares. He was just barely drifting off to a dreamless sleep at last when his father had started his sparring session. Rather than answer Akane, for various reasons which included his ego, he simply gave her a dismissive wave and tried to force himself past the tiredness, in part by trying to recall the nightmares that had kept him awake in the first place.

It was successful, to a degree; the imagery had, naturally, become somewhat faded over time. But still the visions, of a island that seethed with dark menace, of a sky being swallowed by malevolent shadows, of a landscape torn by war conducted by dozens of varieties of abominations, each more hideous than the last, jolted Ranma into a state approaching wakefulness. Shuddering slightly, Ranma quickened his pace to reach school; once he was there, then he could fall asleep without repercussions.

In a place further from Nerima than the most distant star, yet closer to Ranma than the next heartbeat, the war from Ranma's visions was beginning to play out its inevitable end. Constructed in an unknown time by a powerful sorcerer, a true master of the black arts, the descendants of that being had since guarded their ancestral holdings –and the gateway to earth concealed within its depths– with the utmost vigor and dedication. Alas, an age of peace had descended upon this artificial world, and thus the current incumbent had been unprepared for when strife had reared its ugly head once more. From the depths of the Void Between, the infinite abyss between all realities, a new challenger had come, with force hitherto unmatched by any who had preceded him. Unleashing wave upon wave of dark minions upon the unprepared landscape, all resistance was steadily being crushed.

The massive energy harvesting facility situated off of the island's "coast" had been conquered, a demonic leviathan arising from the black depths to usurp the vital energy flow for its own hungers. Its supply lines cut, assailed from without and besieged from within by traitors and infiltrators, the military base had surrendered, placing its stockpile of arcane technologies and weapon systems at the disposal of the invaders. The sole town was in ruins, all resistance slain or driven from the rubble-strewn streets, now thronged by roving packs of murderous marauders. In the depths of the forest, in the mines and the ancient tomb-complex that burrowed into the very heart of the world, resistance was still persistent, with the last faithful followers of the warlock-king expending their lives as dearly as they could. But it was not enough.

High above the demiplane's surface was the greatest marvel of the witchling family who had ruled for so long; a great citadel of equal parts arcana and technology, which floated in what could be considered the heavens. From the control room, the once-proud ruler looked down upon his ruined domain and wept bitter black tears at the sight of his failure. Hardening his heart as best he could, he spun from the viewing port and headed towards a carefully prepared ritual circle, ready to give his life to what would more than likely be the greatest and last spell of his existence. Closing his ears to the sounds of his loyalists as they fought and died in the very next room, he gestured and invoked the arcane syllables, ritually gashing his flesh with a ceremonial dagger for extra potency. As the final screams died away, a great pounding and rending at the door began as his enemy tried to force its way through. Ignoring the sounds, the way the rune-inscribed steel begun to crumple beneath the inhuman force, his sole purpose was to complete the spell.

"Zena, Xenu, Shada, Hara!"

The door finally gave way as an undescrible mass of darkness and malevolence poured into the chamber, seething towards the warlock like an inescapable tide.

"Summoning from beyond the bounds, beyond the realms, beyond existence, bring me a power that defies all knowledge, all fate, all gods!"

The unholy mass towered above him now; there would be no escape. The magus took what would be his last breath and shrieked the final words, screaming his eternal hate and defiance at his usurper.

"Uru, Keri, Juni, LoxaAURRK!"

A razor-edged tentacle of darkness stabbed forth from the shapeless mass, impaling the sorcerer as the spell was almost completed. Despite this deathblow, a great bolt of utter darkness erupted forth from the center of the circle, stabbing up through the ceiling like a wrathful finger and vanishing into the void. The formless abomination chuckled, a sound of complete malevolence.

"Pitiful fool. Your efforts were doomed from the start. Soon, the world of your ancestors will fall to me as well."

The shapeless shape drew itself upwards, dark energy pulsing with obscene purpose about its mass for several seconds before it roared with fury, at which the dying mage chuckled faintly, blood spattering his lips.

"Heheheh... did you… really think… I wouldn't… seal the way? You are trapped… and my spell… will bring forth… the one… this place… will be… your… tomb…"

A final whispered laugh spilled from his bloody lips before his eyes closed forever. The monstrosity screamed as it tore the once-human's body apart and turned it into ash and cinders. Still consumed with rage, it lashed out at all around it, destroying everything in sight until its fury was spent. Calmed now, it settled back amidst the destruction, an air of calm satisfaction emanating from its bulk.

"No matter. No mortal can harm me… and by virtue of its very nature, the mortal brought forth will serve as a link between the two worlds. I will devour their soul, and use their body as the gate to unleash my minions upon a fresh world. Let them come. I will be ready…"

In Nerima, Ranma and Akane had finally reached Furinkan and, as always, the "Blue Blunder", Tatewaki Kuno, was waiting to challenge Ranma. Rather than simply charging at Ranma and getting flattened like he normally did though, he brandished his sword at Ranma with a triumphant expression written on his face. Ranma instantly recognized a disruption in the normal flow of things, and a tiny hint of caution entered his stance as he moved purposefully towards Kuno.

"Beware Ranma Saotome, defiler of women, craven enemy of all things good and decent! For today, I, Tatewaki Kuno, shall at last claim my long overdue victory upon you and release my two beloveds from thy vile grasp!"

"That's what you said yesterday… And the day before that... And last week too… come to think of it, you've been going on with that garbage ever since I came here. So just shut up already Blue Blunder, and come get your beating- I ain't in the mood."

"Vile miscreant! Your days of mocking your betters have at last come to an end! For I, Tatewaki Kuno, scion of the noble house of Kuno, am no longer the mere Blue Thunder of Furinkan High… I am the SHADOWED LIGHTNING of NERIMA!"

With this impassioned exclamation, Kuno thrust his sword menacingly at Ranma. At precisely that moment, a massive bolt of black lightning crashed from the sky and struck Ranma full on, instantly immolating him within a raging inferno of ebony flames. Ranma's agonized scream split the air for a heartbeat, before the flames vanished and his unmarked body collapsed lifelessly to the ground. Kuno blinked twice in disbelief, then cautiously walked up to Ranma and prodded the limb body twice with his bokken. Then, a massive grin split his face in half and he crowed with delight.

"Hahahaha! The vengeance of heaven is slow but sure; at last the kami have rewarded me for my diligence in the pursuit of the vile one's life by striking him down in full view! At last, the beauteous pig-tailed girl and the fierce tiger Akane Tendo have been struck free of their chains and their hearts released to my own worthy care! Oh my loves, I come for you now!"

The persistence of a tiny voice in the back of Kuno's mind finally paid off as it prompted him to look behind him. Oh look, there is Akane Tendo now- and what's this, Ukyo Kuonji as well? Why, from whence did Shampoo and his own twisted sister Kodachi come? And look at the expressions on their faces, and the way the light gleams off the myriad weapons they're holding… uh oh… Kuno's sense of self-preservation –which he did actually have– finally managed to ring the alarm bells, but by that point it was too late.

_**Two days later…**_

The persistent chorus of life-support systems was a sound Akane Tendo was all too familiar with, and she found them both unnerving and disturbing. She looked up from Ranma's face –so still it may as well have been carved from porcelain– and looked at the other fiancées. She, Shampoo, Ukyo and Kodachi had been sitting beside Ranma ever since he'd collapsed, in what was perhaps the longest amount of time the group had ever been together simultaneously without fighting. Shampoo wasn't there now; she was at the Cat Café, helping her great-grandmother search through both Cologne's private collection and the tribal archives in search of some esoteric martial arts healing technique or herbal remedy or magic spell or something that'd cure Ranma. Akane sighed softly, and then turned her head slightly as she heard the doctor come in, talking with Ranma's parents. As it'd turned out, Ranma actually did have a mother, and she actually lived relatively close near by; Genma had just been reluctant to contact her for some reason that was still a mystery. It had taken the news of Ranma's mysterious condition to finally get him to call her, and she was much more helpful than Akane's own father was- Soun was at the Tendo Dojo, weeping near-constantly.

"I'm afraid we've never seen a case like this one before Mr. And Mrs. Saotome. Physically, your son is in perfect physical shape- in fact, I've never seen anyone so healthy in my life. Mentally… even our most sensitive machines aren't registering anything other than the barest minimum of impulses needed to keep the lungs breathing and the heart pumping, and even then they need the life support systems to truly work. I know this must be hard for you…"

"He will remain on the life support systems." Nodoka Saotome interjected in a steely tone. "Money is no object."

Akane couldn't help the ghost of a smile; it was hard to say who had been shocked the most when it turned out that Ranma's mother was almost as rich as the Kunos. The smile disappeared as she returned to contemplating Ranma. What was wrong with him? How had Kuno, a character widely recognized around Nerima as an incompetent joke whose ego was greater than his skills, done this to Ranma, generally considered to be all-but-unkillable with anything less than an atomic bomb (and some had their doubts about whether that would work)?

Across the veil, in the darkness beyond, another hospital chamber was the site of feverish activity. Arcs of ebony electricity surged and crackled across the chamber, darting from one area to another in a maniac dance. Great streamers of semi-solid blood and quasi-liquefied flesh flowed across the ground, winding their ways up the bedposts to congeal together within the bed, assuming a more solid form. Several surges of energy smashed together in the air above the bed, and when the light faded a transparent crystal prism was revealed, with an eye surrounded by glowing runes encased within its depths. The prism slowly drifted downwards and was absorbed by the flesh-mass, which was beginning to assume a more recognizable shape. Finally, the few remaining arcs of energy drifted together to form a small sphere of energy, which slowly lifted up before slamming down into the form now sprawled upon the bed. All was silent for several minutes… and then the body began to move…

_All right, first chapter done… and boy does it feel good to be back in business! Please review and let us know what you think. There're seven more chapters to come after this, and this should be one of our quickest updated stories._


	2. Chapter 2

Shadows & Blood 

_Disclaimer: Neither Gideon020 nor I own Ranma ½ or any related characters in any way, shape or form. The Realm of Dark Skies, and all attendant characters/concepts, is our mutual creation and thus legally ours. Note: set late 6th season of the anime, like all my works._

**Author's Notes:** I can't say I wasn't really expecting it, but I have to admit that the low number of reviews is a disappointment. Ah well. That was just the prologue; maybe as this story progresses… Anyway, from this chapter on, expect frequent gore/violence and occasional bouts of swearing. Oh, and by the way; all of the writing/numbers is actually in some arcane language that shifts to become the native language of whoever sees it.

Chapter 1: Welcome to Your Nightmare

Ranma groaned softly, it felt like every bone in his body was aching, and opened his eyes. Well, he tried to; a sudden flash of light lanced into his vulnerable orbs and sent a lance of pain ricocheting around his skull. Ranma instantly shut his eyes and clamped a hand over them, shielding them from the harsh brightness. After waiting a few seconds for the pain to clear, he deduced that he was lying down, and tried to get up. Unfortunately, it turned out he was lying on a rather narrow bed rather than his normal futon, which meant that he fell off of it when he tried to move, knocking over something that clattered onto the floor in the process. Ranma pushed himself off the floor with his hands and shook his head, taking this as opportunity to open his eyes and let them grow accustomed to the light in comparative shelter. For some reason, he felt strange… weak. Almost… drained. Finally, he stood up and surveyed where he found himself, stumbling slightly as he did so.

The sight was far from comforting, and very close to disconcerting. It looked like it had originally been some manner of hospital room, but it had quite clearly been torn apart. The bed upon which he had just been lying was soaked through with blood and other, less identifiable fluids, which prompted a grimace of disgust from Ranma. The walls were smeared with gore and covered with deep gashes, craters and holes, and there were several smashed pieces of machinery and equipment scattered about the place. Half the lights in the ceiling had evidently either burned out or been smashed, while the other half occasionally flickered on and off. Out of the corner of his eye, Ranma noticed some light was drifting through the window blinds (which were badly broken), and he walked over and opened them in order to find out exactly where he was. The blinds broke off and collapsed at Ranma's feet as he opened them, but Ranma didn't notice- he was too busy staring at what lay beyond the window.

The city that lay before him was unfamiliar, and would have been even if it hadn't been a warzone. Buildings existed in varying states of damage, from relatively intact (albeit with massive chunks blown out of them, presumably by explosives) to collapsed into mounds of rubble. Dozens of fires burned fiercely, evidently fuelled by oil and gas deposits, sending great clouds of smoke billowing into a sky already thick with black storm clouds. Eventually, the city gave way to a thick, almost primordial-looking forest, which stretched all the way up to a great mountain that loomed on the horizon. Ranma thought he could just barely make out the presence of some sort of facility built into the very mountain, but distance, the forest, the buildings and the smoke conspired together to prevent him from ascertaining. He shook his head and stepped back away from the window.

"What the hell happened to me? Where the hell am I? How did I end up in the middle of a warzone?" Ranma's voice echoed around the room, a small hint of confusion and desperation creeping into his words. Ranma recognized that and quickly bit off what he was about to say next, shaking his head with a mental admonishment to get a grip. He was Ranma Saotome; the abnormal was normal for him, the weird was mundane, the strange was boring. How could he call himself a practitioner of Saotome Anything-Goes Martial Arts if he let something unexpected get the advantage of him? Firmly in control of himself again, Ranma spoke, hoping to concrete his mental state.

"Okay, the first thing to do is to get out of here."

He quickly spotted the door, and walked over to it. Unfortunately, while there wasn't a lock, there wasn't anything even remotely resembling a door handle. Ranma tried pushing on it, but it was locked fast. Ranma eyed the door speculatively, and then took several long strides back before charging towards the door as hard and fast as he could. He angled his body so that the full force was concentrated in his shoulderblade, delivering an impact that could have felled a charging Ryoga. Instead of smashing his way to freedom, Ranma practically ricocheted off the surface with a howl of equal parts shock and pain- it felt like he'd almost fractured his shoulderblade! Gasping in shock, he rubbed the sore appendage in an attempt to sooth it before throwing a glare of equal parts hatred and surprise at the undented door.

"To open door, please enter access code."

Ranma started at that sudden burst of sound, before calming down as he figured that the blank, faintly feminine voice must have been some sort of automated process. Curious, he examined the side of the door to confirm that there was indeed a small pad beside it. As well as numbered buttons, ranging from zero to nine, there was also four large buttons above the numbered ones, each of which was engraved with an animal image. Ranma recognised a wolf, an eagle, a snake and –he shuddered instinctively– a cat. Ranma admitted he wasn't much of an expert with technology, but even he knew that there was little chance of him simply punching the right code in by accident. Even given how twisted his luck was. Instead, he started searching through the debris in search of a card or a note or something that might give him some clue as to how to get out of here.

"Nothing! Not a blasted thing! Now how the hell am I supposed to get out of he-AAARGH!"

Ranma screamed unwillingly as his eyes suddenly seemed to explode in white-hot, burning agony. He clapped his hands over them instinctively, the pain almost driving him to his knees before it vanished as suddenly and mysteriously as it occurred. He cautiously removed his hands and slowly opened his eyes, wondering for a split second if he did so if his vision had somehow been affected.

Through his eyes, the world was covered with mist; clouds of vapour and light in all colours and sizes floated and drifted gently, with what he considered the "real world" seemingly underlaid beneath them. Ranma's eyes fell upon the door, and to his astonishment he saw what looked like writing imprinted on the door's surface. He walked over to get a closer look, unconsciously memorising what he saw, and unthinkingly reached out a hand to touch the reddish-purple letters. His fingers were perhaps an inch away when the mists suddenly cleared from his eyes and they vanished. Ranma blinked in confusion, and then turned his attention to the keypad. It was a long shot, but it was worth a try.

Cat-745…

Wolf-908…

Eagle-176…

Snake-754…

"Access granted." Chimed the voice, and the door slid open with a soft hiss of hydraulics. Ranma smiled softly, shook his head in mild disbelief, and walked through, the door closing behind him.

If the ward where Ranma had regained consciousness was bad, then the hallway was even worse. The bloodstains from before were not only in greater quantity here, but also larger- and in some places, so fresh that they were still dripping. Doors and even whole walls had been torn down, revealing ransacked wards. The floor was scarred and battered, and there were even holes and obviously weak spots. As below, so above; there were also segments where the roof had been torn away, and as these spots tended to have still-live electrical cables dangling from them, Ranma avoided them as he carefully picked his way through the ruins. He started as a soft moan suddenly drifted through the air. When it repeated, Ranma instinctively started pursuing it; the compassionate side of his nature refused to let him ignore someone in such obvious pain, while the more ruthless side identified the sound with the possibility of finally getting some answers. Finally he came upon the source; a woman in a filthy, bloodstained nurse's uniform. She was sprawled on her front, partially raised off the ground with her arms and her head hanging low. As Ranma approached her, she wailed softly.

"Hey, are you alright? What happened here?" Ranma asked, gently reaching out and placing a hand on her shoulder. The nurse stiffened, and suddenly thrust herself to her feet, standing up straight with her back still to Ranma. Ranma tried to think of something to say, but his mind went slack as the nurse turned to face him. Roughly the entire lower half of the right side of her face had been torn off, revealing bloody, pus seeping wet musculature. She stared at him from a blood-clouded right eye, the left obliterated by a deep crater- like a gunshot wound. Slowly raised arms revealed deep, bloody bite marks, and the front of her uniform's waist had been shredded, as had the flesh beneath. Rubbery loops of intestine dangled forth, slick and shiny in the half-light. The creature's jaws opened; blood and drool spilling forth as she voiced a sibilant wail and lunged at Ranma. That snapped him to his senses, but not in time to avoid the powerful haymaker that collided with the side of his head. He staggered back, but caught himself, and quickly retaliated with one of his favourite techniques.

"Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken!"

And that's when things went even more wrong for Ranma. Rather than the dazzling fast barrage of devastating blows he should have unleashed, Ranma found himself throwing punches that, while still impressive by normal standards, were slow as molasses and weak as a kid's compared to his previous attempts. Even more disconcerting, though they were still strong enough to viciously bruise flesh, his opponent showed no sign of pain, simply weathering the blows and retaliating as best she could. Scratching, grapping, punching, even biting, though Ranma fortunately escaped with torn clothing and relatively minor scratches. In desperation, he switched from simply punching to trying to target pressure points. Though he managed to strike various points that should have crippled his opponent, or at least distracted her with intense pain, she seemed impervious.

Throughout the fight, Ranma and his opponent had been moving, which added an extra element of hazard for Ranma. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up as he felt a severed electrical cable whipping around behind him, and with his inhuman opponent advancing he quickly twisted and darted through a nearby ward door. Unfortunately for him, the creature suddenly lunged at him with surprising speed, and unfortunately for both of them the floor where they landed was too damaged to support them. They plunged through the floor into the chamber below, Ranma twisting so that his opponent took the brunt of the impact. He tricked to push off his opponent, but the sensation of feeling the cold jelly of human intestines beneath his fingers distracted him, which meant his landing was far from graceful.

In fact, he slammed into some sort of mobile tray –they had evidently landed in an operating theatre– loaded with implements, spilling them everywhere. As the hissing she-beast awkwardly raised herself off of the table, Ranma's hand instinctively thrust out, desperately searching for some manner of weapon. A sharp pain told him that he'd cut himself on a scalpel. Ignoring the pain, he traced the blade to find the handle, and gripped it tightly. Springing to his feet, he lunged towards the monster, burying it deeply as he could in her heart. An inhuman scream threatened to deafen him, and he abandoned the blade as she swiped at him to spring backwards. He managed to cover sufficient distance that he could see the plethora of sharp, pointy objects on the floor, and he scrabbled desperately for them. As the thing lunged towards him, he retaliated desperately, plunging them into neck, heart and skull. Despite this, still the creature shrieked and lashed out at him.

Finally, Ranma grabbed it and, having spotted a cluster of live wires lashing from the ceiling, evidently displaced when the floor had given way, he partially wheeled and half-pushed half-threw his opponent into them. It tripped and stumbled, getting itself thoroughly entangled in the deadly cables. The lights flared at the resultant power drain, and the creature screamed horribly as the hideous stink of burning flesh filled the air. Finally, the creature collapsed, a charred, smoking mess, and Ranma covered his mouth at the stench. He walked towards the door, stopping when he spotted something. Written neatly on the wall was a single sentence in what looked like permanent marker.

"These falling sequences are tedious, aren't they?"

Ranma blinked in confusion at that, when he suddenly felt the ground shift beneath his feet. Before he could react, the floor gave way again, plunging him downwards. Ranma lifted himself off the pile of debris and groaned as all the various wounds and injuries he'd accumulated began clamouring for attention now that his system wasn't flooded with adrenaline. Shaking his head in an attempt to clear it, he checked himself over. There weren't any real injuries, but his clothes were so damaged he was practically naked.

"Ah great, just great. Now where the hell am I supposed to find new clothes?"

It was then Ranma realised he'd fallen into a locker room and, grabbing a suitably sized and shaped piece of metal debris, he set to work prying open the lockers. The first one was empty, other than a few personal bits and pieces, of which the most interesting was an otherwise blank piece of paper bearing the message "Call now and indulge in the finest death metal crystal acetone country hip locking ecstasy books. All for 999 carrots or a pocket watch named Kyle". Finally, Ranma had the majority of the lockers opened –by which time the makeshift crowbar he'd been using was so battered and bent it was useless– and he began examining his choices of replacement clothes.

The first one contained an anorak, a brie-nylon shirt, a pair of white socks, plastic orthopaedic sandals, an Aertex vest and a cardigan. Ranma dismissed it with a shake of his head and a comment of "too nerdy."

The rest weren't much better, with Ranma delivering a running commentary of flaws as he examined them.

"Too girly. Too- eeurgh, what the hell is that? Too tight. Too loose. Too… oh, that is just sick and wrong. Too- hey, wait a minute, I think I just hit the jackpot! And some good-looking boots too."

Ranma's search had finally turned up a pair of black jeans, a grey short-sleeved shirt, a thick leather jacket, a pair of army boots and, to top it all off, a set of black, fingerless gloves. With his usual lack of modesty, Ranma stripped down to his underwear and quickly pulled on his new acquisitions, dusting them off and giving himself a final critical look over in a nearby (broken) mirror.

"I ain't gonna be winning any 'best dressed' awards, but they'll do."

Ignoring the gibberish scrawled in blood on the door ("Frog Blast The Vent Core and be quick about it, lunch is nearly alive again."), he opened it and stepped out as quickly and cautiously as possible. Spotting a sign pointing to a nearby stairwell, he quickly followed it; he had no idea if more of those things he'd just killed were wandering around, but he didn't want to take the chance. He resolutely ignored the disconcerting possibility that the entire city might be infested with those… things.

As such, Ranma was quite unpleasantly surprised when he finally exited the stairwell into the reception room and found no less than five of the walking corpses (what else could they be?) greedily devouring whatever titbits caught their fancy from a great mound of putrescent chunks of human corpses. Ranma reigned in his instinctive panic; the things looked both not too smart and quite preoccupied. If he was careful, he should be able to sneak past them. Keeping to the shadows, and training one wary eye on the feasting abominations, Ranma crept onward. He had just made it behind the front desk when one of the things suddenly straightened up, its head lolling around. Ranma ducked down behind the desk, remaining as still and silent as possible.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the corpse-thing grunted and resumed eating. Ranma stood up cautiously- and as he did so, he noticed something on the desk. It was a notebook, with jet-black covers and –this was the really strange part– Ranma's name on its front cover, written in fiery, faintly glowing kanji. Ranma instinctively snatched it up before darting silently down a corridor, hoping to put some distance between himself and those things. Just what were they anyway? As the thought came to him, he felt a strange sensation in the hand that held the black book. It was as though the book was… moving. Deeming himself safe enough, for the moment, Ranma flicked it open. At first glance, the book was completely blank. Then, before Ranma's disbelieving eyes, details began to appear. First, lines twisted and knotted together until a perfectly detailed sketch of one of the walking corpse things lay before him. Then, colour began to fill in the sketch. Finally, rows of neatly drawn kanji began appearing on the opposite page. Fascinated despite himself, Ranma began to read.

_Cadaver_

_A simplistic form of undead, consisting of a basic reanimated human corpse. Cadavers, existing simply to kill and devour human prey, are most often utilised en masse where they are at their most useful. Their normal armament consists of their teeth and decaying fists, though some specimens may also tote makeshift weapons. Completely mindless, and with a relatively fragile skeletal structure, they are most easily destroyed through severing the spinal column or inflicting massive trauma to the brain._

Ranma cocked his head curiously as new kanji formed, this one having been written by an evidently less-skilled calligrapher.

**_That means cut their head off or shoot them in the head to kill them, Einstein._**

As Ranma blinked, wondering if he'd just been insulted, he spotted something at the end of the corridor. It looked like a small child, clad in dark clothing including –Ranma was having trouble believing this– an old-fashioned cloak. Apparently recognising that Ranma had seen him, the child turned and fled down the corridor.

"Hey! Kid! Wait up! I need to talk to you!" Ranma called instinctively, and then swore under his breath before darting off in hot pursuit. He screeched to a halt, turning his head to try and figure out which way the kid had gone, before the **'ping'** of a lift door opening caught his attention. Ranma grinned savagely and raced in the direction the sound had come from, dashing into the open lift before there was any chance of the doors closing.

"Ha! Caught- you?"

The lift was completely empty, other than Ranma. He blinked in confusion, and then spun around as the doors suddenly slammed shut behind him and the lift began to descend- apparently to the 1st floor of the four basement floors. Unable to intervene, Ranma simply settled back and waited, idly noting another scrawling besides the control panel, which went along the lines of "Vae Victus! I am the suffering of the conquered! I am the agony of life, I am...BATMAN!!!"

Finally, the lift doors opened and Ranma headed outwards. This hallway was just as battle-scarred as all the others had been, but a lot more Spartan. Ranma was confused for a few seconds, wondering what purpose this place must have served, then figured it must have been the Security floor, where the guards and the like must have spent their time until they had to go on duty. Ranma's train of thought was instantly derailed as he turned the corner and caught sight of the dark-clad kid from before, standing inside an office. The child traced its hand over the wall, causing the kanji for "looking beyond the physical can bring about a great Revelation", with the numbers 9, 8, 2, 0, 12, 30, and 1 below it, to appear before Ranma's eyes. Ranma didn't bother calling out, instead dashing inside. Much to his astonishment, the dark child vanished before his eyes, very much like a ghost. And that was when Ranma's control, already stretched so thin, finally snapped. With a hollow moan, he slid into a nearby battered chair, cradling his head in his hands.

"I can't take this any more- first nightmares, then Kuno zaps me here- wherever here is, then zombies and now a ghost? Just what the hell is going on? And what's happened to me? How did I get so weak?"

Ranma didn't know how long he sat there, utterly overwhelmed by the situation. Finally, he managed to regain some measure of self-control, enough that he manoeuvred himself into a meditative position- he hadn't done it in some time, but this would calm him down, give him a chance to think clearly. Breathing slowly and rhythmically, he tried to clear his mind of all distractions and thoughts. He could feel it working already, could feel the stress flowing from him. Wait… what was that feeling? A strange sensation in the back of his head, kind of like when you poked a loose tooth with your tongue. Actually, as he focused more of his attention on it, it was more like cradling an egg with your eyes blindfolded, a sort of soft-yet-firm rigidity of gentle curves. And then, as he mused over this thought, the egg broke. The resultant, replacement feeling could be most closely likened to having every last drop of blood being transmuted to liquid nitrogen, only pleasurable rather than painful. It was a sort of wave that swept with deceptive slowness from the top of Ranma's head to the very tips of his extremities… so, so very cold but also soft and sweet… blissful… even beautiful. Ranma's eyes shot open and he unconsciously voiced an ecstatic moan.

"Woah… that… what was that? It felt so… good…"

Ranma couldn't help but smile, all of his concerns and pains washed away by that single surge of pleasure and joy. In fact, he was so caught up with it he barely noticed when the black book he'd been carrying pulsed again. When he realised it, he lifted it up and opened it, flicking past the entry on the Cadaver to discover a new entry.

_Spell-Seeds_

Spell-seeds are a relatively new method of ascertaining and educating those who possess latent arcane talent. Essentially self-contained spells, spell-seeds appear as indestructible crystal prisms, in whose depths is contained a single elaborate symbol or icon, which determines the precise nature of the spell-seed.

_The name comes from their method of utility; when a spell-seed comes into contact with a being that possesses the potential capacity for arcane magic, it emits energy tendrils that knit themselves to that individual's mana network. Once this initial step is completed, the prism itself is absorbed into the host's body, whereupon it begins ingraining the contained knowledge upon its master's psyche. This process is irrevocable, and attempting to disrupt it can have fatal consequences._

_Locating a spell-seed can be done in two ways. Firstly, spell-seeds constantly emit a soft, chiming hum known as the "seed-song", which is only audible to those capable of using them. The seed-song is the primary method spell-seeds utilise to attract new hosts, as it tests them for curiosity, determination and –especially given that spell-seeds are often hidden in obscure or even dangerous locations– ingenuity._

Again, the final note was by the "rough" author.

**_Spell-seeds are designed to be simple to use; simply focus your mind on a target, and mentally invoke the spell-seed's name._**

Ranma wondered why this entry would have appeared in conjunction with that sensation he'd just experienced. Unless… he quickly turned the page and grinned triumphantly, for a second entry had formed there.

_Revelation_

_This unique spell-seed is of the Divination family and is used for scrying. Enabling the caster to temporarily see into the Hidden Realm, this grants them the power to detect things that have been distorted, modified or shielded- especially if they have been concealed by magic._

**_That means you can see through stuff like illusions and invisibility, in case you didn't get it._**

Ranma thought back to that experience up in the ward he'd woken up in; could that thing with the mists been him unconsciously using this "spell-seed"? Well, it was worth a try. Standing up and closing his eyes, he focused on himself and mentally whispered 'Revelation'. A faint prickling in his eyes resulted, and when he opened them he was once again seeing those strange coloured mists as before. Recalling the message that ghost or whatever the hell it was had written, he looked around the room. On the opposite wall to the one the ghost had written upon was situated a safe that Ranma was positive he hadn't seen before. As he stared at it in indecision, the spell apparently wore off- and the safe promptly vanished behind a landscape of a nocturnal riverside. Smirking softly, Ranma recast the spell, and then twisted the dial in the same pattern of numbers that was written on the opposite wall. The door swung open gently, apparently removing the former cloak of illusion. Inside however was nothing more than two clips of pistol bullets (which Ranma picked up and, with a disdainful expression, slipt into a pocket of his jacket) and a single piece of paper, which Ranma instinctively picked up and read.

'The recent spate of tests has failed miserably. The new-type Cadaver was supposed to have been capable of resisting the kind of magic used by the Dagger Of Time and the forces of the Enemy, but it appears I was wrong. I have stored the corpse of the prototype in the morgue. The Dagger of Time remains embedded in the corpse in order to preserve it for future studies whilst I shore up the defences and prepare the spell. With any luck I can improve my forces and repel that abhorrent interloper from my realm.'

Below that was a signature, though it was thoroughly illegible to Ranma. He was just about to discard it when he noticed a final note scrawled below the signature, evidently a last-minute addition.

'I must also remember to make sure the Morgue Keys are stored in the B2 Storage Floor and disable the doors by shutting down the generator.'

"So… there's a weapon in the morgue eh? But I need to go down a level to get the keys before I can get it… and I can't get out of here until the generator's back on. Looks like I'm taking the elevator downstairs then."

Nodding his head in subconscious agreement, Ranma exited the office, stopping in front of the door when the black book surprised him by vibrating. When he examined it however, he found that the new entry was nothing more than a word-perfect replica of the note he'd just read. Exiting the door, he was startled by a sudden loud crash emanating from a nearby pair of cubicles. When two Cadavers, both wielding torn-off pipes as clubs, lurched out of the cubicles, Ranma quickly beat a hasty retreat to the elevator. Once again it opened and closed automatically, before descending further into the bowels of the hospital.

Ranma cautiously peered out of the opened elevator, which had brought him to the 4th basement floor. This was a single large chamber, devoted primarily to the massive electrical generator in front of him. As he stepped out of the elevator, he noticed two things. Firstly, there was a small nook, closed off by a fairly large crate. Secondly, there were no less than nine bodies scattered about the chamber. As Ranma picked his way through them, he noticed one of them, which was lying in front of an overturned table, had left behind a track of blood. Evidently, the man had fallen on the floor, but then crawled over to the table before dying. Curious, Ranma investigated, finding that the man's dying action had apparently been to write something in his own blood on the table's underside.

'Generator short-circuit explode… right order cables… 8, 4, 5, 1, 3, 2, 7, 6'

Ranma naturally found this more than a little confusing. Then he examined the generator, and it made a little more sense. There was a cluster of eight cables lying on the floor, each of which bore a Roman numeral. The generator had eight pairs of plugs, each of which was also labelled with a Roman numeral. Unfortunately, the pairs weren't straight up and down, so unless Ranma put the cables in just right, the generator would undoubtedly short-circuit and explode. With that thought firmly fixed in his head, Ranma took another look, a good, long one, at the sequence before setting the cables. The very last one affixed, Ranma, cringing despite himself, flicked the "On" switch. At once a loud hum filled the air, the dull lights suddenly glowing much brighter. Ranma didn't even notice this though, as his attention was fixed on two things. The first was that the elevator had just gone back upstairs. The second was that the corpses were moving. With fight definitely not an option, Ranma chose flight; leaping over the Cadavers as best he could, he dove for the shelter of the box-blocked nook.

Fortunately, Cadavers were as stupid as their entry said they were; they simply shambled aimlessly around the chamber, somehow avoiding bumping into each other, for three or so minutes. That was when the elevator returned and re-opened its doors with a **'bing-bong'** that was the most pleasant sound Ranma had heard all day. He dove for it and was on his way up before the walking dead even realised he'd been there.

The 2nd basement level, the storage level, was apparently even more trashed than the other places Ranma had seen. Crates, boxes and packets of medical supplies had been torn open, their contents strewn about the place and smashed, crushed and generally wrecked. Ranma was suddenly glad he'd "appropriated" the boots he was wearing; even in top shape, he wasn't fond of the idea of walking bare-foot through broken glass and hypodermic syringe needles. He poked cautiously through the debris, and then noticed a strong metal cage blocked off one segment of the room. There was an open door, but Ranma didn't like the look of the bubbling, hissing puddle of goo in front of it. He walked over anyway, then noticed that there was a table still upright, with a variety of chemicals and still-intact equipment placed upon it. Most conveniently, there was a badly stained notebook besides the equipment, which Ranma picked up and began flicking through. Most of it was incomprehensible to him, but the final two pages had something of use.

'In my alchemical studies, I have discovered a variety of new formulas that have proven to be of great value to my lord. These include Nova 908SB, a powerful acid that only affects metal, and the Ultimate Nullifier, which is perfect for clearing up hazardous chemical spills. These are of less concern compared to my bio-alchemical elixirs, which have proven of great utility to the military. The first, my so-called "Regen Serum", is a toxic-looking dark green fluid that temporarily bestows incredible cellular regenerative properties upon the imbiber; even the most severe of wounds can be regenerated in a matter of seconds! Unfortunately, there is a side effect; the regenerative process causes intense pain, which invariably paralyses the user for up to 10 seconds. So far, I have been unable to counteract this unfortunate side-effect.'

'In contrast, my Universal Anti-Toxin (distinguishable by its dark blue colouration) has no such side effect. Both these elixirs have been mass-produced, and are dispensed in ready-use custom hypodermics. Unfortunately, my Reflex Booster and Bloodrage elixirs have proven much harder to replicate on an industrial scale. The Reflex Booster, which has a tarnished silver colouration, enables the user to process information with much greater speed, causing them to react with such inhuman speed that many users have likened it to having time slow down around them. The dark red Bloodrage is an adrenaline-based elixir, which bestows a more gradual form of cellular regeneration upon the user in addition to a temporary state of super-strength. I am still undecided whether the state of homicidal psychosis it induces should be considered a drawback or a bonus.'

'To create Nova 908SB, use Omni-Chem Formula 14 as base, and then mix with D-4 and X-T-C-90. To create Ultimate Nullifier, use AM0-98S as the base, then compound with D-4, X-T-C-90 and Omni-Chem Formula 14. Finally, stir resultant concoction with a rod of Magnesium; the rod will eventually dissolve into liquid, which should be allowed to mix into the fluid. A colour of bright crimson indicates that the Ultimate Nullifier is complete."

Ranma quickly looked over the equipment available; everything the notebook had listed was present. As a matter of fact, there was also a vial of Regen Serum amongst the equipment. Ranma picked it up and looked it over curiously, debating whether or not it would be worth it to use the stuff. Then, with a haphazard shrug, he injected it into his arm. Almost instantly, he regretted it. It was like every drop of blood in his veins had suddenly ignited, a white-hot fire that scoured his bones, seared his eyes and flash-boiled his brain. Ranma didn't scream- he was in too much pain to do something like that. All he could do was try to ride out the eruption of agony- which promptly disappeared as instantly as it had appeared. Sucking in deep lungfuls of air, Ranma let the syringe drop to the floor before examining his wounds. Like the note had said, they were all gone. Still, Ranma figured it'd be best if he avoided having to do that again.

Discarding that thought, Ranma began mixing together a beaker-full of Ultimate Nullifier. He mixed it together just as the note had said, just allowing the liquefying Magnesium rod to dissolve into the mixture before it began to bubble and turn red. Once it had become a brilliant crimson colour, Ranma gently picked it up and, standing at arm's length with his spare hand over his mouth and nose, poured it onto the mess on the floor. Instantly the goop began to froth and boil, dissolving into a harmless-looking mass of foam and bubbles as a beautiful sweet scent filled the air. The bubbles began to pop, and soon the floor was clear. Ranma began to walk forward, then stopped. He looked thoughtful for a second, then walked back and began mixing up a beaker of Nova 908SB.

"I just know this is gonna come in useful."

And he was right; the storage locker's door had evidently been welded shut. Tipping the acidic concoction over it dissolved it into a puddle of liquid, allowing Ranma to freely take the (faintly blood-spattered) morgue keys. That done, he walked back to the elevator, calmly waiting for it to take him down to B3- the only floor left to serve as the morgue. Frankly, this wasn't something Ranma was looking forward too; he'd seen enough gore and corpses scattered around already. When the door opened, he blinked in surprise. The room was the cleanest and, well, most normal place he'd seen yet, the only difference between this place and a normal hospital operating theatre (other than the numerous insane rantings and desperate prayers sketched onto every available surface with ink, paint and blood) being the flayed corpse with a dagger in its heart lying on the operating table.

Ranma walked up to it cautiously, keeping his eyes fixated firmly on the dagger, rather than its impromptu sheathe. Gently reaching out, he closed his hand around the hilt (leather wrapping reinforced with a covering of wire, with a handguard in the shape of a coiled snake biting its own tail he unconsciously noted) before giving it one sharp, strong yank. The sound of it tugging free, something that could vaguely be described as "shlclutch", was enough to send a shiver down Ranma's spine, though he quickly forgot his distress in favour of examining his new acquisition, turning his back on the corpse he'd pulled it from. Though not much of a weapon user, Ranma still had to admit that this was a beautifully crafted and perfectly balanced piece of work.

Appearance wise, it looked something like a large hunting knife- only by looking closer was Ranma able to ascertain that the blade was actually three thin blades, with a small gap between each one. Each blade was double edged, and the two outermost blades both had a small hook pointed outwards, evidently for damaging organs and joints. The pommel was an elaborately detailed miniature model of an hourglass. In fact… Ranma looked at it more closely and confirmed that, yes, there was indeed sand in the hourglass, and it did actually flow between the two bulbs.

"This thing looks way too fancy… ouch! Ooh, alright, so it is a weapon." Ranma mumbled to himself, sucking on his bleeding finger, sliced deeply just by touching the blade. Once the bleeding stopped, Ranma started walking towards the elevator- which promptly slammed shut as a hollow moan rang out behind him. Ranma rolled his eyes.

"Figures."

The skinned Cadaver slid off the table with surprising grace for a zombie, its skinless feet slapping on the tile and leaving bloody footprints. It threw back its head and howled at the ceiling before hunkering down on all fours and scrambling towards Ranma like some vile ape. The speed and ferocity of its attack almost threw Ranma off balance. Almost. Ranma waited until the last second, then leapt aside, slashing out with his new weapon as he did so and cutting a gash across the flesh of its ribs. The beast wailed and wheeled to face Ranma again, and he instantly noticed that it seemed to have gotten slightly slower. For several minutes they danced their fatal duet, Ranma evading lunges and powerful swipes and retaliating with blows from his dagger.

Ranma was pleased with how well he was doing –it had been years since his last knife-fighting lessons with Genma– and he was positive that his enemy was much slower now. Unfortunately, slowing it down seemed to be all he was doing; even stabbing it in the back of the neck hadn't done him any good, and the creature was still rampaging about the morgue. They were at opposite ends of the morgue, the creature somehow managing to glare hatefully at him despite lacking eyelids, before it hammered on its chest like a gorilla and charged again. This time, Ranma thought he heard something whispering in the back of his mind. Deciding to trust his instincts, he drew back his dagger into a striking position and waited.

He was aware of some energy, definitely not ki, trickling down his arm and into the blade, somehow aware that the blade was becoming filled with that energy. And the Cadaver was coming closer, and closer… it threw out its arms wide and hurtled towards him, evidently aiming to crush him in its bloody embrace. And that was when Ranma struck, ducking beneath its arms to power forward and drive his dagger deep into the creature's heart. In an instant, the creature's moment stopped entirely. In the exact same instant, a wave of silver erupted from the wound and enveloped the creature, turning it into a solid statue of a material that reminded Ranma of solidified moonlight. And then, without a sound, it dissolved into thin air.

Ranma blinked in astonishment, then shook his head slowly before walking towards the elevator. He was barely halfway there before he suddenly found his progress arrested as though he'd walked into a brick wall. Looking down, he round himself encaged within a circle painted on the floor, strange, eldritch-looking runes all along the inner edge. One by one, these runes suddenly lit up with an eerie light, and the very instant every single one of them was glowing lifted from the ground and began circling Ranma, encasing him in an otherworldly coruscating aura, but otherwise having no apparent effect. Then, all of a sudden, the light faded, the circle disappeared and Ranma could move again. After quickly checking himself over to prove that, yes, he was all right, Ranma started moving again.

And just as quickly stopped again. Ranma could feel a faint sort of tugging sensation coming from behind him. He turned and started in shock- his shadow was moving. Not moving as in slight, gentle movements either; it was thrashing and writhing like a drowning man clawing desperately for the surface. He was so shocked that he stopped fighting the tugging feeling, which was promptly replaced by two things. Firstly, a sort of draining sensation. Secondly, his shadow stopped thrashing around so violently, but began to crawl off the floor. By the time the tugging sensation returned, a second, perfectly identical Ranma Saotome was standing before the original. The newcomer didn't say anything, or even move, and when the real Ranma reached out a tentative hand to touch him, his hand went straight through him.

"What the hell? Some kind of illusion? Damn those feelings are getting annoying."

With minimal effort, Ranma blocked out both the sensations plaguing him, whereupon the false Ranma crumbled into nothingness. Curious, Ranma decided to investigate this strange new phenomenon, eventually deducing that the "fake Ranmas" were basically illusionary decoys, and that he could support a maximum of four without being drained of his strength. Finally, he decided to check the black book and see what it had to say about the things he'd just encountered. Looking them over, he smirked, and headed into the elevator.

Ranma unconsciously squeezed the hilt of the dagger of time as he strode out of the elevator; with the power on, the doors out of the place should be open. All that remained was taking care of the five Cadavers roaming the lobby, but with his new weapon they shouldn't be much problem. He cautiously slunk into the lobby- but other than the mound of body parts, there was nothing there. Cautiously, he slid through the shadows until he reached the doors. Through the glass, he could see the ruined streets of the desolated town- but they still looked more inviting than this place. Hope beginning to rise, he went for the doorhandle.

"Fuck!"

Normally, Ranma didn't swear. However, after all that running around and dodging monsters he'd just done, after solving all those stupid puzzles, how was he supposed to react to the fact that the door was locked? Whirling on his heel, he resigned himself to having to search for those damn keys. And that was when he spotted something glinting besides the mound of rotten meat. Disregarding the stench, Ranma dropped to one knee and grabbed the glinting object, holding it up to the light to reveal it was a set of keys with a tag reading "lobby". Ranma grinned widely.

"For once, I catch a break!"

And that was when the gunshot rang out and a bullet whistled past Ranma's head to smack into the corpse pile. Ranma leapt for shelter as several more gunshots rang out, before the one responsible finally lurched into view. It was yet another Cadaver, clad in the ripped, blood-soaked remnants of a guard's uniform and carrying a pistol and gore-encrusted nightstick. It howled like a rabid wolf and, apparently spotting Ranma as he looked out from behind a pillar, targeted and fired with considerable accuracy. Ranma was forced from cover and darted wildly across the floor, calling upon all of his remaining speed and agility to avoid being shot.

"How the fuck can he shoot that well? I thought these guys were supposed to be morons!" Ranma complained. Right about then, the Cadaver's clip evidently ran dry; prompting a snarl of fury as it clumsily ejected the clip and began to reload. This was Ranma's chance- he raced across the floor and reached the Cadaver just as it finished reloading. It lifted the gun in his direction, but Ranma slashed the dagger of time across its chest, the force knocking it back. It snarled and swung its nightstick, but the blow was clumsy and overbalanced, allowing Ranma to dodge it and slash his dagger across the Cadaver's throat, opening it up from ear to ear.

While this would have been fatal for a human, it was little more than a distraction for a walking corpse. As it flailed at Ranma with its gun-bearing hand, Ranma caught it and twisted the appendage savagely. A grisly crack split the air and the pistol clattered to the floor. Without even the slightest hesitation, Ranma thrust his opponent back, snatched the gun from the floor and, in a single movement, took aim and fired. Brain tissue and semi-clotted black blood spattered the glass windows of the door as Ranma's enemy reeled back before finally crumpling to the ground. Ranma looked first at it, then at the smoking gun in his hand, both times with a blank expression on his face. Finally, he walked up to the door, pushed the corpse aside, unlocked it and headed out into the dead streets, unknowing and uncaring of what he would find.

_Okay, that's chapter 1 finished. Because of our schedule, each of the subsequent chapters should be at least as long as this one. Just for an added bonus, at the end of each chapter I'll include the "data files" from Ranma's black book. This chapter; Dagger of Time, Ritual Circle, Security Cadaver and Samurai Edge._

_The Dagger of Time_

_A weapon sought by assassins since time immemorial, an extremely gifted –and psychotic– Chronomancer, who now lives on only through the existence of this weapon, crafted this legendary artefact. The blade is not only capable of cutting an opponent's flesh, but also their time stream. In fact, by concentrating their mana into the Dagger of Time, the wielder can utterly shred the time stream of their next victim, erasing them from existence. However, the delay required for the charging period means that this ability must be used with caution, as does the fact it only remains empowered for one attack. When enhanced with pure mana, the blade can also generate chronoplasmic doppelgangers, the effectiveness of which can be enhanced by further exposure_

**_Focus on the weapon, and wipe the enemy out with one hit. It doesn't work on the bigger nasties though, so don't try it. You're a sitting duck while it's charging, and you only get one shot- so pick the right moment, or you're lunchmeat. Hit a ritual circle, and you get some free decoys- hit another, and they can start hitting back._**

_Ritual Circles_

_These miniature shrines are used to empower pre-enchanted weaponry, tapping into mana streams to elevate and transform the potential of magical weapons. These strange conduits still retain many mysteries, but their sheer power is unmatched, for it has been proven that exposure to a single ritual circle will empower every weapon that the user happens to be carrying. Other properties that have been proven are; that a given circle will only appear for a given individual once and that weapons can only draw power from a certain number of circles before being incapable of drawing anymore._

_Ritual circles are extremely rare, sometimes spontaneously appearing after the death of particularly powerful magical beings, and other times manifesting in particular awkward, out-of-the-way or otherwise difficult to reach areas. However, they seem to react to concentrated amounts of enchanted weapons, which leads some to collect large stores of these weapons to draw ritual circles to them, a process referred to as "focus baiting". Despite the difficulties, one would be will advised to pursue all evidence of ritual circle presence, as they are an incredibly valuable asset._

**_Hit these things, and get your gear boosted. They're your best chance of getting out of this alive, so keep your eyes peeled!_**

_Security Cadaver_

_A unique breed of Cadaver, initially created as a way of expanding the number of ranged troopers available to the militia. The project was destroyed whilst it was barely in its initial phases, so there are very few of these creatures scattered about. They are quite accurate shots, but are slow at reloading and their melee capabilities have suffered._

**_Your basic brain-muncher, only these guys are halfway decent shots. They're lousy in a scrap though, so get in their face before they pop a cap in your ass._**

_Samurai Edge_

_The most basic sidearm produced in the local factories, its customisability makes up for its default lack of firepower._

**_This popgun won't even scratch the bigger nasties you'll come across later, but there's plenty of ammo, it's got a good rate of fire, a decent-sized clip and you can fix it up if you can get the parts._**


	3. Chapter 3

Shadows & Blood 

_Disclaimer: Neither Gideon020 nor I own Ranma ½ or any related characters in any way, shape or form. The Realm of Dark Skies, and all attendant characters/concepts, is our mutual creation and thus legally ours. Note: set late 6th season of the anime, like all my works._

**Author's Notes:** well, so there are people interested in this? We're going to post it either way, but it's nice to know that people are liking our little creation. Tamphis; Gideon020 and I have actually already worked out all the little details, but if you want to post your spell in a review we'll take a look at it and discuss including it.

Chapter 2: An Impossible Quest

If the city had looked like a warzone from Ranma's window, then the past ten minutes spent wandering the streets had confirmed it. Ranma had been forced to pick a path through rubble, craters and blazing fires, though he'd seen surprisingly few bodies. Of course, that could be explained as being the reason behind the great packs of Cadavers which roamed the streets, moaning in mindless hunger as they stumbled carelessly through killing grounds and flame-pits alike. Ranma had been sorely tempted to clear them from his path with either dagger or pistol, but had stifled the urge. The more immediate cause was the sheer size of the hordes he'd encountered, which had easily numbered over a hundred hungry dead. A less obvious set of concerns consisted of how many more packs might be roaming the streets, where Ranma could find more ammunition and the hinted possibility of there being other, nastier creatures wandering the city.

Ranma wasn't too sure how long he'd been wandering; it could have been anywhere from ten minutes to half an hour. What he was sure of was that he'd reached the town square. There wasn't any fire, fortunately, but there were still signs of damage; a toppled statue of an angel that had evidently once taken pride of place in the centre, several totalled cars and a few shops that'd had doors, display windows or even their whole front wall smashed down. There were a few Cadavers wandering about, but they seemed to be sticking to the shadowy alleyway at the opposite end of the square. Keeping a wary eye on them, Ranma decided to leave them unmolested for now; the creatures were so stupid that there was every possibility that they'd remain ignorant of his presence until and unless he deliberately made himself known to them. Instead, he resolved himself to searching the square; something seemed to be telling him that there were things here to find.

A car that had crumpled its front against the side of a building caught his attention. Its boot had been popped open by the impact, and a curious poke through its contents revealed a sturdy, somewhat rusty, crowbar. That might come in handy with Ranma's strength sapped like it was, so he took it. He idly noticed that what he had initially taken for rust seemed in fact to be dried blood and clots of brain tissue, but as this wasn't really of any concern to him he simply ignored it. Spotting a nearby café, Ranma took a look inside; he was feeling somewhat peckish and maybe there was something inside. Unfortunately for him, the fridges had been ransacked and what little untouched food remained behind had spoiled due to lack of power. As he passed through the mangled dining segment in disgust, he caught sight of something placed in the seat of a booth, in such an angle he'd missed it before. It was a somewhat filthy but otherwise unmarred military backpack, which he absently noted felt abnormally light. He felt a strange tingling emanating from the pocket he had placed the black book in, and placed the crowbar and backpack on the table while he fished it out and checked it.

_Backpack of Holding_

_A customised version of the popular Bag of Holding, styled in the fashion of a military backpack. Intended to be mass-produced due to its great value for field agents, the sole production facility was annihilated and all arcana-schematics were lost._

**_It can hold a hell of a lot of stuff without getting any heavier and it never runs out of room- what more could you want from a bag?_**

Ranma nodded appreciatively; placing the black book back in the pocket, he tossed the crowbar into the main part of the backpack (which seemed to swallow it whole) and slung it onto his back before tucking his dagger into his waistband. After doing so, he resumed searching, eventually finding two vials of Regen Serum in the cab of a flipped-over truck (which he slipped into a side-pocket of the pack) and four more clips of pistol ammunition, which joined the other two he'd found in the hospital in the right waist-pocket in his jacket. Spotting what looked like a fifth clip partially buried at the bottom of a crater, Ranma stopped down to retrieve it. Something about it seemed different though… that's when Ranma noticed the small image of a flame painted on the side of the clip, and a curiosity-prompted look inside revealed that the bullets had black tips and a gold ring around their circumference. Ranma didn't even wait for the tingle this time, instead simply pulling the black book from his left pocket and watching the words form.

_Blacktail Bullets_

_Over the eons, our lords have constantly experimented in the creation of new and more efficient forms of ammunition for our soldiers to utilise. The Blacktail bullets, designed for use with the Samurai Edge, are a relatively old design that still remains in use due to its superior design. Imbued with elemental fire magic, a shot from these bullets causes the target to burst into flames as their blood ignites, with multiple shots increasing both the damage and the duration of these flames._

**_Fire good!_**

"Now I know I'm being insulted." Ranma muttered, but returned the book back to its position before slipping the Blacktail clip into a pouch on the front of his backpack- even he knew enough about guns to know that something like that was best saved for more… 'troublesome' enemies. Having scoured the square pretty thoroughly, and with the Cadavers still ignorant to his presence, Ranma turned to leave.

"Hold champion… hold…"

The voice was thin and weak, but it was still strong enough to catch Ranma's attention and bring him to a sharp halt. He looked around in search of the voice, but could see nothing different from before.

"Over here…"

Tracking the voice, Ranma found himself standing behind the toppled statue, its one intact wing blocking the already meagre light and plunging the location into complete darkness. Well, not complete. A vaguely spherical shape of ghostly, luminescent mist hovered at roughly Ranma's eye level, providing some meagre illumination. Ranma waited, gripping both his dagger and his pistol in different hands (not for the first time grateful that Genma had taught him ambidexterity), but the orb did nothing. A cautiously curious poke revealed it to be as insubstantial as it looked, and Ranma wondered exactly what he was supposed to do with it. Then, he remembered the Revelation spell-seed and, with a shrug, cast it.

At once, the orb of mist reshaped itself in the guise of a translucent European man with faintly luminescent blue eyes and tightly cropped black hair. He wore black robes that covered most of his body, though what flesh was exposed was tattooed with eldritch sigils. As Ranma blinked curiously, the figure took a deep, rasping wheeze of a breath and then began to speak. Surprised and confused as he was by this turn of events, Ranma listened intently- maybe he'd finally find out what the hell was going on.

"Greetings. If you are listening to this message, then that means I have fallen. No doubt you are wondering why you are here. The tale is long, and time is short. All that you need to know is that this land of mine was attacked, with such force that my own legions were unable to stave off the onslaught. In desperation, I tried to summon a champion, one who would lead my forces to victory. You were to have been that champion… but now, I must implore you to be my avenger."

"No doubt you are asking why you should assist me, why you should risk your life for someone who has undoubtedly inconvenienced you. To that, I implore your more beneficent nature; my lands were attacked solely because they conceal a gateway to your world. Should you fail to slay my killer, then your world too shall be overrun, as was mine. If that alone is not enough to sway you, then heed this. My final act before conjuring you was to seal away the gate, in order to delay and hinder my opponent. The gate is keyed to his astral signature; so long as my foe survives, the gate will remain closed and you will be trapped here without hope of escape. My foe will know that you are here, and he knows that the easiest way to breach the gate and enslave your world will be to use your body as a portal."

"It is more than likely that my foe disrupted the spell by which you were called to my realm, resulting in degraded physical abilities. As a ward against this, I have scattered spell-seeds and enchanted weapons across the land. Seek them out, and fight hard. You are the last- the only- hope."

Ranma watched as the translucent form dissolved into nothingness, the Revelation spell ending as he struggled to digest all that he had just heard. Blankly, he walked out behind the statue, only to stop and take a deep breath.

"WHY is it ALWAYS ME!?!?" He screamed at the dark skies above. He was so infuriated that he didn't even flinch when he heard shuffling and a hungry moan from behind him, instead instinctively bringing his pistol up and whipping around to bury three bullets in the forehead of the Cadaver that had tried to come up behind him. Taking several deep breaths to further calm himself down, Ranma looked down at the corpse and shook his head.

"I ain't got a choice… as usual. I guess I'll do it."

He startled at a sudden booming sound, then realised it was an old-fashioned set of clocktower bells ringing. Tracking the sound, he discovered that the clocktower was only a few blocks away and started towards it. As he did so, he was unaware that a faint mist had begun to seep from the ground in front of the fallen statue, which eventually morphed into the form of the dark child he'd seen in the hospital. It directed an inscrutable look after Ranma, and then vanished once more.

"Ain't got a map… next best thing is to catch a better view."

He had to sprint past a pair of Cadavers, but otherwise things were going smoothly. Right up until he found the street he needed blocked off by a flaming barricade, and all of the other alleys or streets were either dead-ends or otherwise no-goes. Ranma thought for a minute.

"Now what was it the old man always used to say?"

A mental image of Genma formed in his mind's eye, face twisted in an irate grimace as he bellowed "why must I have such an ungrateful son?" Ranma quickly shook his head to erase the image.

"Wrong saying."

Again the image formed, although this time it was of Genma in one of his "sensei" stances.

"Always remember boy; if you can't get through something, go over it!"

Looking around, Ranma spotted a single-story building that looked relatively intact. Striding into position, he launched himself upwards. Unfortunately, he'd forgotten about his reduced strength and failed to land on the rooftop as he'd planned, instead just barely managing to grab hold of the ledge and scrabbling to pull himself up. Dusting himself off, he set off over the rooftops.

"My old man does come up with useful stuff. Sometimes."

Roughly ten minutes later, Ranma was in the bell chamber at the top of the clock tower, looking down upon the city sprawled before him. As far as he could see, there was only two ways out of the place. A massive fortified gateway was present and sat like a great yawning mouth, beyond which he could see what looked like an overland highway. Unfortunately it was at the other end of the city, though the way to the gate itself was open and largely free of debris save for ruined cars, trucks and what looked like several tanks.

At the opposite end of what he guessed to be the main vehicle route of this area of the city was a fairly large train station, the few tracks he could see also heading in roughly the same direction as the highway, while smoke and blinking lights indicated the place was still operational. Of course, reaching either place by normal route was all-but impossible. The majority of the roads and streets, and even several large alleyways, were sealed by debris and barricades of all types, ranging in nature from large concrete dragon's teeth and I-beam tank traps to walls of rubble and sharpened steel pipes. However, Ranma thought he could see a way to reach the gates from the nearby police station, as a road diverged from the main one to head into what had to be the rear-parking garage.

His plan of action decided, Ranma nodded his head before heading back into the clocktower. He leapt forward to grab a long rope that had been tied to the clockworks by some unknown person and slid down it, easily dropping the last dozen or so feet even in his weakened condition. Pointedly ignoring the corpses huddled in the corner (a pair of teenagers who'd apparently been having sex before something or someone had shot them both in the head) and the barricaded door, Ranma walked over to a nearby window, pulling the crowbar from his backpack as he did so, and smashed it open before easily hopping through it into the street and setting off in the direction of the police station.

Through the alleyways, dodging the odd Cadaver (or slaying them with his dagger if pressed), Ranma travelled onwards. The police station was just around the corner, if he remembered right, when he stopped- from around the corner, he could hear a steadily growing chorus of groans, moans and shuffling. Half turning around, he quickly made for a door that he'd just passed by. Fortunately, it was unlocked, and Ranma darted inside and closed it behind himself, an inexplicable urge seizing him and compelling him to look through the mail slot in the door. As he did so, a veritable army of Cadavers shuffled past, all clad in the gory, blood-soaked and tattered remnants of what could only be army uniforms in urban camouflage colours and toting battered-looking weapons. Finally, they shambled off into the distance and Ranma heaved a sigh of relief. That'd been too close.

Ranma blinked suddenly and cocked his head; what was that sound? A sort of faint, chiming hum- and it seemed to be coming from upstairs. Wait… hadn't the book said that spell-seeds made a sound like that? Curiosity piqued, Ranma went in search. The sound seemed to be coming from upstairs- specifically, from the attic. Gently tugging on the pull-robe that slid down the stairs, Ranma headed upwards. Though he seemed to have a lot less difficulty seeing than he rightfully should have (an effect he now chalked down to a side-effect of the spell that'd brought him here), his dark-vision was still a long way from perfect. He cautiously lifted his head above the attic floor, then continued up until he was in the attic proper.

It was a decently long rectangular shape, with the "door" contained within a small nook. The walls were lined with bric-a-brac, and Ranma couldn't see the far side; at roughly the halfway point was arranged a semi-circle of crates and junk piles. Moving between them, Ranma grinned; at the far end was a pile of junk, and besides that junk was a floating crystal prism. The "seed-song" ringing loud in his ears, Ranma strode forward, until he caught a glimpse of something in the faint light. Something that looked an awful lot like…light glinting off the barrel of a gun!

Ranma dove for the safety of a crate as the attic echoed with a roaring burst of gunfire. He couldn't help but wince at the sound of what he guessed to be heavy-calibre automatic slugs smacking into his makeshift barricade, flesh instinctively cringing away from the bullets it was anticipating to finish drilling through the wood and begin boring into it. However, after a five-second burst, the firing stopped, the only sounds in Ranma's ears the combination of his own breathing and pulse, mixed with the faint clatter of spent bullets hitting the floor. Whipping out his Samurai Edge, he flung himself to his feet and twisted around the edge of the crate, frantically seeking the source of the gunfire. The scene burned into eyes long trained to spot the finest detail, emblazoning itself on a mind tutored for tactical expertise.

The box upon which the spell-seed rested was part of a large bundle of clutter, emerging roughly from the front of the right-hand side. What Ranma had failed to spot was that, to the left of it, was slumped the remains of a soldier dressed in relatively unmarked infantry flak armour. Its legs sprawled on the floor in a manner that suggested they were broken, and a just-barely visible pool of blood made it obvious that what Ranma was dealing with was another of those gun-toting Cadavers he'd faced in the hospital's lobby. What's worse, the creature's vulnerable head was all but completely shielded by the arrangement of crates and boxes it was slumped up against.

Ranma just had time to take all this in before the gun –some sort of heavy machinegun strapped to its master's waist– was raised and pointed in his general direction. Ranma spared the time to fire off two quick shots before retreating to cover, but he had no idea if he'd hit or not and even if he had he'd probably struck the flak jacket. He'd just made it before bullets once more began chewing into his cover- and breached it, forcing Ranma to half-dive half-roll for the next one as the first bullet punched through the barricade and almost clipped his shoulder. And then the firing stopped; a part of Ranma idly considered why, eventually deducing that it wouldn't be able to see him and was thus relying on its sense of hearing to track him. Hence the occasionally pauses; to allow it to "refocus" on Ranma's presence. The rest of him was too preoccupied with returning fire to really care.

"Shit!" Ranma swore as another barricade was ripped to shred; he was running out of cover and didn't seem he'd made any impression on his enemy yet. As he leapt to a new one again he desperately searched for something –anything!– that would help him. And then he saw it; as the flare from the gun's muzzle lit up the segment, he saw the light glint off what looked like a metal canister. A propane canister. His opponent wasn't stopping this time; evidently he could see well enough to deduce that Ranma had only one safe spot left and so he was going to simply keep shooting until Ranma was a bullet-riddled corpse. With no intention of becoming such, Ranma sprung from his hiding place and remained in the open, frantically zigzagging back and forth in an attempt to confuse his opponent while he fired desperately at the propane canister. All of the six remaining bullets in his pistol were fired, and all of them either ricocheted off the metal with a ridiculously cheery 'tink!' or simply missed all together.

"Fuck!" Ranma's mouth swore, but Ranma's brain had no part in it. Ranma's brain was occupied with ejecting his spent clip and slapping a new one in its place. Unfortunately, Ranma didn't have the practise at reloading guns on the run and slowed just a fraction to do so, resulting in a barrage of bullets clipping his legs and knocking him to the floor, his fresh clip skittering away. It was all Ranma could do not to scream; he'd been hurt plenty of times before, but his body wasn't anywhere near as tough as it'd been. Not to mention getting a dozen or so bullet pumped into your lower body hurt no matter who you were. Mercifully (or was it?), the Cadaver stopped firing when Ranma hit the floor. Gasping in pain, Ranma twisted his body so that he could see his faceless adversary. The gun was being positioned with deliberate slow movements, moving so that it could make the perfect shot. He could practically feel the sadistic smirk the creature was wearing. Ranma was sure he was a goner…

In an act of pure desperation, Ranma began focusing on the Samurai Edge in the same manner he'd used to "power up" the Dagger of Time for its disintegrative shots. To his shock, he could feel the energy flowing from himself into the pistol, only this time not only was the weapon quicker to be filled, he could literally see the effect as a faint luminescence spread from the pistol, followed by the slide locking into place as though it'd just chambered a bullet. With no alternatives left, he targeted the propane canister and fired.

A brilliant spark of bloody crimson light erupted from the pistol at Ranma's target in conjunction with a thunderclap of a gunshot, right before the canister exploded like an amateur bomb. The sudden blast of light, heat and sound rendered Ranma both blind and deaf, even drowning out the intense throbbing agony from his legs as he desperately shielded his eyes. A jagged chunk of metal hissed through the air and embedded itself mere inches from his head, but Ranma didn't even notice as he opened his eyes and took in the destruction. Incredibly, the spell-seed wasn't even scratched, simply hovering at its former height as though nothing in the world had happened. Ranma panted in equal parts exhaustion and relief, the adrenaline rapidly draining from his system- and allowing the pain of his injuries to return full-bore. Groaning from the pain it sent shooting through his damaged limbs, Ranma managed to slip off his backpack and pull out a vial of regen serum before slipping it into the underside of his waist.

Ranma couldn't help but scream at the intense surge of pain that swept his body, agony so intense that his mind shrieked at him to simply black out and escape it. The wounds in his legs rippled and pulsed before slowly ejecting the slugs embedded in their cores, after which the pain died away. Ranma panted loudly, wiping the sweat from his brow with a hand. Standing somewhat unsteadily upon legs that leaked smoke from now-sealed holes, he walked over to retrieve the lost clip and slide it home before heading towards the spell-seed.

His hand was barely an inch from touching it before ethereal tendrils exploded from its surface, stabbing into Ranma's arm, chest and forehead. A faint echo of that icy, pleasurable feeling began to flow through him, and then the prism suddenly lunged towards him, striking him weightlessly in the chest and sinking into his flesh, the feeling intensifying until it was an exact repetition of when he'd first "unlocked" the Revelation spell. As the pleasure faded, Ranma checked the black book, as was becoming habitual.

_Dart_

_One of the most basic of offensive magics, the Dart spell-seed enables the caster to conjure forth razor-like piercing slivers of ectoplasm and hurl them at their opponents. The Dart spell-seed is inaccurate at long range and if used continuously, but the mana drain is negligible and the casting time so rapid, even by spell-speed standards, that it makes a formidable weapon. Especially when one considers that its arcane nature allows it to strike opponents impervious to physical weaponry._

**_Fast firing, easy to use and right at your fingertips; the wizard's pistol, with the bonus of infinite ammo._**

Ranma nodded to himself; this sounded useful. And what's more, he could see the police station through the newly formed hole. He carefully jumped down, being forced to roll to help take some of the impact when he landed. Standing up and brushing himself off, he headed towards the police station. The place had clearly been besieged, and the occupants definitely hadn't left without a fight. The thick-barred slot-gates had been badly torn and battered, the attackers finally managing to wrench gaps big enough that they could squeeze through them, as Ranma did now. The ground was heavily cratered, evidently by grenade deployment, and blood and chunks of rotting meat were scattered all around, leaving Ranma feeling absurdly grateful that they hadn't yet begun to rot- the stench of putrescence would have been more than he could have handled.

He would have headed straight inside through the smashed-down doors, if something hadn't caught his eye first. Painted on one, relatively intact, inner wall was a large and elaborate mural. The basic design was a white-spotted black, apparently intended to represent a starry night sky. The centrepiece was a massive set of iron gates, heavily sealed. Around it was arranged nine smaller designs; a sort of sword/key combination, a medallion emblazoned with the design of a rearing horse, a roughly cut crystal shard, a European-style medium shield, a decorative crest, a military medal, a weird sigil and, finally, another sword/key thing. Massive words done in florid, ornate writing were painted over the top of the designs, and Ranma read them aloud.

"Nine Evils Will Open The Way To Darkness? Wonder what that's supposed to mean."

As he turned to leave, he became aware of a faint sound coming from nearby. A very familiar sound- a very wet sound. Looking around, he spotted a crater near the base of the wall, at the bottom of which was a badly battered water pipe. Still, at least that was one good thing about today; he hadn't been splashed yet. The thought had no sooner crossed his mind than the pipe become unable to take the pressure and exploded, sending a geyser of cold water spewing over Ranma. She yelped and jumped clear. Then, as the realisation sank in, she started to swear, methodically and with all the precision she could manage, running through the litany of profanity she'd naturally picked up during her travels with Genma.

Back in Nerima, Shampoo smiled as she entered Ranma's hospital room, though the expression was clearly both tired and automatic. Akane was sitting on a chair besides Ranma, trying (and failing) a piece of needlework. Ukyo looked up from her bedside position (Shampoo vividly squelched down the automatic surge of jealousy) and favoured the Chinese Amazon with a nod before returning her attention to the mug of coffee in her hands. Shampoo took her own seat, carefully positioned so that it was both close enough to Ranma yet distant enough from her rivals.

"No change?"

"None. Any luck on your end?"

"Great-grandmother no find anything in own scrolls- take stupid Mousse and go back to village, check there."

All three girls sighed in perfect synchronicity, a rather spooky sound. The trio settled back, anticipating another long wait. All was silent for several minutes... before Akane looked up and audibly gasped in shock, her needlework dropping forgotten to the floor. The other two girls shot up in shock.

"What's wrong sugar?"

"Ranma's changed forms!"

It was true. The still youth hadn't moved a muscle, yet it was no longer an ebon-haired boy who lay there, but a crimson-haired girl. Shampoo was out of her seat and leaning over her "Airen" in a heartbeat, gently touching the fabrics (and secretly caressing Ranma's face in passage).

"Blankets no is wet... Ranma bone dry. How this happen?"

"That doesn't matter- we've got to change him back! His mother or the doctors could show up at any moment!"

"So?"

"Think about what'll happen if the doctors find out about Ranma's Jusenkyo curse- or worse, if his mother finds out!"

"Why's that a problem?"

"Do you know why Mr. Saotome never went back to his wife after he and Ranma got back from China?" Akane asked. Ukyo and Shampoo shook their heads.

"Turns out that when he first took Ranma on the training journey, he signed some contract with Nodoka. Long story short, he's terrified that if she finds out about their curses, she'll make them commit seppuku!"

"WHAT!?"

The three girls stared at each other in mutual mute horror. Their eyes whipped to the door as the sound of footsteps approaching became audible to their trained ears.

"Uh-oh..."

Ranma walked through the front door of the police station, heedless of the way broken glass crunched beneath her boots as she wrung as much cold water from her shirt as she could. The front office was deserted and ripped apart, and as far as Ranma could tell there was nothing for her to scavenge here, so she slipped through the doorway leading to the staff offices. Here, especially, it was made perfectly clear that the defenders had been forced back inch by bloody inch. Ranma surveyed the carnage for several seconds, and then began scavenging for anything she could find. A plethora of discarded clips and broken pistols eventually gave up enough rounds, in ones, twos and threes, that Ranma had three full clips, making up for those she'd been forced to expend during her battle in the attic.

Of course, this wasn't as trouble-free as Ranma had hoped- a zombified policewoman had been left behind, tucked almost completely out of sight beneath a desk. When Ranma walked past, the Cadaver lunged out from beneath and grabbed her leg. Ranma yelped in shock and, unable to shoot her opponent, frantically kicked out, finally dislodging her leg from the creature's grip and manoeuvring herself so she could crush its skull with a single hard stomp. The grotesque sound echoed through the chamber, and Ranma grimaced with disgust as she withdrew her now-gory boot from her victim's head, blood and cranial fluid pooling about it on the floor, and resumed her searching.

A small office caught her eye and she went in to investigate it, noticing it seemed a bit better furnished than the previous offices had been. There was nothing here but a cracked photograph, which Ranma curiously picked up. She rubbed her thumb over the glass, then returned it to the main desk. As she was about to leave, she spotted a clip on a seat, which she grabbed. She realised instantly that this was another type of specialised clip, though this clip bore an engraving of a shattered shield, and the bullets had crimson, tapered tips. It might have been just her, but she could have sworn that they were actually glowing with a faint golden light. Slipping it into the same pouch as the Blacktail clip, she pulled out the black book and checked it.

_Nail Bullets_

_Enchanted Samurai Edge bullets specifically created for their anti-armour capabilities, though the enchantment is quite difficult to perform, thus contributing to their scarcity. Their capacity for penetrating armour both magical and mundane is quite hard to surpass._

**_Rare but potent; save these for cracking those tough nuts._**

Ranma continued onwards, heading through a door that led out of the staff offices. To her surprise, it led to a room with a door directly in front of her, a staircase heading upwards to the side, and four marble statues; a king, a queen and a pair of knights. Ranma noticed that one of the knights had the words "A pair of crowns to give you a sword, a pair of knights to open the way beyond" drawn on its shield in blood, but it meant nothing to her. Trying to open the door directly in front of her revealed it to be locked, so she instead turned and headed upstairs.

Upstairs turned out to be a set of corridors and offices, with the odd bench here and there. Ranma walked onwards, seeing nothing of interest in the offices, until she finally found a massive landscape depicting an extremely, graphically, realistic image of a bloody battle. She paused to look at it for a few seconds, then shook her head before heading onwards down the corridor. At least, that was her intention; a faint scratching sound from behind her brought her whirling around, pistol at ready. She waited patiently for almost a minute, and was about to dismiss the sound when it returned, and grew louder. Before her eyes, the painting began to warp and bulge, like a layer of flesh stretched taught over a wriggling swarm of maggots. That image had no sooner registered than the painting finally burst asunder, spilling forth a swarm of grotesque, worm-like creatures.

They were hideous beasts, something like a slime-slicked maggot the size of a small dog, their front ends consisting of fang-filled maws surrounded by a quartet of claw-tipped tentacles. More and more of the foul creatures came spilling forth, the swarm hissing and squealing as they writhed on the floor, the bitter-sweet stench of pustulant rot assaulting Ranma's nose like a physical blow. The martial artist clapped a hand over her mouth to keep from retching, moving backwards to keep away from the swarm. As she did, one of the worms suddenly wailed, a sound frightfully like an enraged baby, and leapt through the air at her throat. Ranma instantly reacted by shooting it out of the air, spattering stinking yellow slime across the hall. Unfortunately for her, the rest of the swarm reacted to the death of their comrade by shrieking and lunging towards her en masse. Naturally, Ranma turned and fled, doors slamming closed and locking as she darted down the hall.

"What did I do in a former life to deserve this?"

There before her was a set of double doors, but these two were locked- and what's more, a shimmering wall of energy was clasped over it. Ranma screeched to a halt and whirled to face the oncoming swarm. As she didn't have enough ammo to spare, she raised her arms dramatically before thrusting her hands at the tide of monstrous vermin (was it her imagination, or were there less than there had been before?) as she invoked her recently acquired spell-seed. A flurry of ethereal darts erupted from her splayed hands and screamed into the oncoming tide, effortlessly slicing the demonic invertebrates into twitching chunks. On and on they came, wailing and screaming like a chorus of damned souls, and Ranma's magic tore through their ranks like artillery fire, drenching the walls and soaking the floor in gobbets of meat and streaks of ichor. Finally, the last worm collapsed dead on the floor and Ranma's arms dropped to her sides as she panted with exhaustion. Her foes dead, she turned around to examine the door. Evidently, this was the police chief's office, but just how was she supposed to open it?

"Hang on… that weird message downstairs… another one of those freaky puzzles perhaps?"

As she turned and began walking through the mass of goo and lumps of off-white and pus-yellow flesh, she stopped. A shrill trilling sound echoed in her ears, and before her eyes a sphere of faintly luminescent pink crystal appeared from nowhere. A faintly feminine echoed in her hearing, seemingly without the aid of her ears.

"Choose a spell-seed."

"Err… Revelation?"

"Incompatible."

"Okay… Dart?"

"Acceptable."

At this the sphere suddenly broke apart into a cloud of sparks, which whirled about Ranma before being seemingly absorbed into her skin, producing an electric caress of a sensation that, frankly, Ranma wasn't too sure she was comfortable with. Once again she pulled out the black book.

_Amplifier Crystals_

_Though spell-seeds are an undoubtedly useful, indeed essential, component of a budding mage's arsenal, they have always been considered as possessing a singular flaw. Namely that they do not "evolve" as true spells do- no matter how much a magus practises with a spell-seed, his prowess with it will never increase. Amplifier Crystals were created to solve this problem, utilising techniques derived from study of Ritual Circles blended with some aspects of spell-seeds themselves. These quasi-sentient arcane constructs are composed of a singular mass of pure mystic energy, which can graft itself to a "hosted" spell-seed to amplify its powers, which sometimes comes with the side effect of altering its manifestations. Similarly to Ritual Circles, Amplifier Crystals can only augment certain spell-seeds a certain amount of times; no spell-seed yet created has been capable of being augmented more than five times._

_Due to their almost-sentience, Amplifier Crystals are capable of hiding themselves from mortal discovery, and routinely do so in order to test prospective masters. Some hide in unobtrusive or otherwise unexpected locales, while others only manifest to a master who ahs proved himself by using magic to defeat a great challenge._

**_Like Ritual Circles, only these work on your magic and not your blades. They're even harder to find, but they're worth the trouble._**

Nodding in satisfaction, Ranma headed downstairs, taking care not to slip in the (rapidly drying she noticed) muck. Once there, she took a closer look at the statues before casting Revelation. At first glance, it failed to reveal anything out of the ordinary- then she noticed that there was something on the floor beneath the knight statues; a pair of crown symbols. As her spell wore off, she pulled the knight statues out of the way and then dragged the royalty statues so that they were standing on the crown symbols. When nothing happened, she recast Revelation, and discovered that there were two sword emblems where the king and queen had been. She pushed the knight statues into that position, but it wasn't until she rotated the royals so that they were facing each other that a loud cracking, grinding noise echoed through the chamber. Closely on its heels came the sound of the door Ranma had failed to pass through before unlocking. She looked at it for a few seconds before her curiosity overwhelmed her; upstairs could wait.

"Girls, please, this really isn't the time." Nodoka Saotome forced herself to give a patient, polite smile to the three girls currently preventing her from gaining access to the room where her son was being held. She admitted to herself that she was still somewhat in shock about her sudden reunion, and more so about the complicated web of betrothal prospects woven so tightly about her only child, but still she had more important things to think about right now. All that mattered to her at this moment was checking in on her son. Just what was with these girls anyway? Why were they acting so strangely?

"There no point in mother-in-law checking on airen; we just come from there and he no change." Shampoo blurted, prompting a slight narrowing of Nodoka's eyebrows; partially from the girl's forwardness in addressing her, partially from confusion at the way the other two girls flinched at that remark. She didn't deign to respond though, just moving around Shampoo in a swift, graceful motion that caught the trio off balance and pushed through into the room. Her heart twinged at the sight of her son –so handsome, so manly– lying there as still and lifeless as before. She walked over regally and sat down in the bedside chair, laying a gentle hand on his brow, not noticing the way the three girls suddenly broke out into a furious whispered conversation.

"What the hell happened? How'd he change back?"

"I don't know sugar- maybe we just dreamed we saw him change in the first place?"

"Mmm… maybe we take rest, then come see airen again, yes? It not help him we go mad from no sleep."

"Good idea… for once."

"Akane want repeat that to Shampoo face?"

"Whoa, whoa, take it easy there you two; Mrs. Saotome's still here."

"Ah… that's better. Lucky for me this place still has power, and that the kettle was full." Ranma remarked, steam trailing from his limbs as he restored the battered utensil to its proper place. The door he'd chosen to investigate had brought him through the armoury, the infirmary and finally the ready room, and in addition to restoring his proper gender he'd retrieved six clips of regular pistol ammo, three clips of Blacktail ammo and a second clip of Nail ammo, in addition to a Regen serum and a vial of Universal Anti-Toxin (which he mentally rechristened UAT, for simplicity's sake). His explorations here done, he turned and headed up towards the chief's room. There, several minutes of exploration finally turned up a set of master keys, as well as a concealed ladder that –to Ranma's elation– led down to the rear garage. A quick drop, and Ranma was on his way to the city gates at last.

After about ten, maybe fifteen minutes of footslogging, the gates out of town were dead ahead. Ranma's jubilation lasted for all of twenty seconds before, with a hiss of hydraulics and the sound of a thousand agonised groans, the massive steel doors –two meters thick if they were an inch– began to swing closed. Ranma surged forward as fast as he could, diving forward in a desperate attempt to get through the gates- only to smack headfirst into the doors as they slammed shut. Ranma shook his head to clear his eyes, then promptly slammed his fist against the doors and swore. Shaking his head in disgust, he turned and began heading in the direction of the train station, the only other available route. At least, that was his initial intention; an inhuman howl suddenly echoing around the cul-de-sac quickly put other things on his mind.

There, on the roof of a nearby building, was a massive figure- eight feet tall at the very least. It shook a weird, dual-ended polearm in the air and howled again before leaping off the roof and landing with a massive impact in the street maybe a dozen feet in front of Ranma, whose hand clenched tighter on his pistol as he took in the full appearance of this latest foe. The beast was naked from the waist up, its chest and arms adorned with twisted knots of wickedly barbed chain. From the waist down, it was clad in long trousers seemingly stitched together from canvas- or tanned human skin. Its feet were clad in iron-plated army boots, and its head completely encased within an iron mask, the only features being two eyeholes (through which Ranma could see eyes like orbs of chill blue flame) and blades. A Mohawk-like "crest" of slightly bent blades began at the forehead and trailed over to the back of the neck, while four more blades curved like horns from the sides of its head, two to each temple. It strode forward with purposeful menace, whereupon Ranma smirked and aimed his pistol at its eyes.

"You want some? Come get some!"

A half-dozen rapid-fired shots followed this bit of bravado, all striking the beast's head- and ricocheting harmlessly off its metal mask. Not to be thwarted, Ranma fired a flurry of Darts at the beast's chest, though the impact barely seemed to register with it and when Ranma stopping firing, the creature wasn't even scratched. Ranma blinked in shock and disbelief, whilst the creature voiced an inhuman, guttural laugh before lowering its head and charging straight at him! Ranma threw himself aside as the beast surged past, rolling and springing to his feet as the creature embedded its gore-soaked horns in the solid steel of the gates. As it wrenched itself free, Ranma turned and fled down the streets; this clearly wasn't an enemy he could fight. He wove around overturned vehicles, while his pursuer simply smashed straight through them or threw them bodily out of the way.

A blockade of flaming rubble suddenly loomed ahead, forcing Ranma to wheel and hurtle down an alleyway instead. Using all his remaining strength, Ranma leapt up and landed on a fire escape, ducking into the connected apartment as the behemoth from the gates pursued. He fled out through the door and slammed it shut behind him- not that it mattered to the creature, which cut him off by smashing through the wall into the hallway ahead of him. Ranma promptly reversed direction and kept running, all his thought processes focused on escaping a creature that seemed to combine the most dangerous capacities of Mousse and Ryoga. Down the stairwell he raced, leaping from flight-railing to flight-railing in an effort to cut time. The creature didn't even bother with that, simply walking through the railing and plummeting like a stone to the bottom floor. Ranma had just reached the bottom floor when he became aware of the creature's dive, which it had turned from a freefall into a downward thrust with the spearhead of its weapon.

Ranma dove from the stairwell as the creature slammed into the ground like a thunderbolt, the shockwave propelling him through the door to land awkwardly on the ground, rolling painfully across the asphalt to land next to an open storm drain. Forcing down the pain of his bruises, and hearing the beast struggling to rip its weapon free, Ranma slipped through the opening and dropped down into the sewer just as the creature came thundering out the front door of the tenement building. Ranma froze where he was as he heard its footsteps coming towards him.

"Don't look down here, don't look down here, what you're looking for isn't down here so don't look down and walk away, just walk away and keep walking, don't come back and don't look down." He whispered frantically, a desperate litany that he could barely believe was coming from his mouth. Above him, he could hear the creature moving, until finally it started heading away. Ranma waited until its footsteps faded away and sighed in relief.

"What in the name of the kamis was that thing? I couldn't even scratch it! I better get out of this town quick; the next time I might not get the chance to run."

The ladder was broken, so Ranma had no choice but to continue heading deeper into the cold, wet, dimly lit sewers. The only thing of interest that he saw was a decaying skeleton, clad in the rags of a sewer worker's uniform. A cursory examination revealed a vial of Regen Serum and a vial of UAT, which Ranma pocketed before heading onwards. Finally, Ranma found a room with a large holding tank- filled to the brim with those worm-things from the police station. Fortunately, there was a grill on top of the tank that looked like it'd keep the squirming beasts contained. What's more, there was a ladder leading up to a manhole cover just ahead. Ranma was just about to start climbing when he heard a hiss from behind him. A worm-thing leapt out from the shadows, though Ranma instinctively grabbed a nearby crate and whipped around, smashing it into the vermin with sufficient force to break both the crate and the worm. Pausing only to grab the box of eight shotgun shells that had spilled out, Ranma turned and began climbing the ladder to the surface.

It was a little trickier than he'd anticipated to lift the manhole cover off, but he finally slid it aside and pulled himself up onto the surface. He grinned with delight to discover he was just outside the train station- even the half-dozen Cadavers, which he quickly disposed of with dagger and Darts, couldn't spoil his mood. When he tried to get through the main doors though, that was when his mood dropped. Another magical barrier, similar to the one he'd seen in the police station, was blocking the way.

"I'm getting really sick of these damn puzzles!"

Looking upwards, Ranma noticed that there was large, lens-like object set into the building above the doorway- and what's more, there was a large pillar of light coming from it (or was it leading to it?). For lack of any other clues, Ranma decided to follow the beam of light, which led him to an ornate-looking tower across the road. Inside, Ranma found a complex arrangement of reflective mirrors set around a large, glowing crystal. Beams of energy lanced from various faces and points of the crystal and were directed via the mirrors to a smaller crystal embedded in the roof, from which came a larger beam that struck a lens and was directed to the lens back at the train station. Ranma stood there for several seconds, examining the whole mess, then nodded.

"Seems simple enough; it has to be something to do with those mirrors."

He approached the nearest mirror and discovered that, yes, it could be moved. As he experimented, he finally ended up manoeuvring it so that the beam struck the crystal from which it'd emerged, causing the giant jewel to shudder and crack, the sound of it echoing like a gunshot. It took quite a bit of manoeuvring, and Ranma's efforts were accompanied by a constant litany of profanity, but finally all of the beams from the crystal were being reflected straight back at their source. The gem, which had continued to crack as each beam hit it, let out a single hollow whine as the final beam touched it before glowing white and exploding in a shower of shards with a sound like a mirror breaking. The light beam now gone, Ranma decided to check the door again.

The barrier had indeed disappeared, and Ranma quickly headed up to the main platform. There, he found two trains; a heavily armoured military transport, and a commuter monorail. According to the timetable, the transport would take him to some sort of military base, while the commuter train would take him to the warehouse district. For Ranma, it was an easy choice; the military base had to be outside of the city, or at least it should have weapons capable of destroying that monster he'd fled from before. He'd just started walking towards the military train when the sound of a massive impact sounded from above him. He looked up at the ceiling, specifically at a point above his chosen train, where a spider-web of impact fissures was steadily growing. Two more massive impacts, and then the roof in that area suddenly collapsed, at least half a ton of debris smashing down onto the train- along with a very unwelcome figure.

It howled and brandished its weapon again, and this time Ranma could see that the two massive blades at either end consisted of a spearhead and an axehead. He could also see that the cargo truck on which the beast had landed had partially split open, and that it also seemed to be stuffed with what looked like high explosives. You didn't need to be a tactical genius to see the possibilities there, and Ranma was a tactical genius (albeit an unacknowledged one). Quickly as possible, he traded his pistol's clip for a Nail clip and fired at the most exposed crate he could see. The resultant explosion sent him flying backwards, though he managed to twist with the impact and landed neatly on his feet, and also annihilated the train. Ranma laughed gleefully, only for it to die in his throat as the beast strode from the flaming ruins apparently unscathed.

Discretion being, in this case, the better part of valour, Ranma turned and fled. Initially, he headed towards the other train, then he realised that the creature would simply trap him there unless he found a way to divert it. And that was when he spotted some manner of heavy steel gate, the bottom lined with sharp points evidently designed to further anchor it into the ground, and with a nearby emergency release lever. A rudimentary plan forming in his mind, he started towards it, intending to lure the beast over there. The creature however seemed to have different plans, as it suddenly began whirling its weapon over its head at inhuman speeds, creating a powerful vortex that forced Ranma to cling for life to a nearby pole to avoid being sucked into it. Fighting down memories of Kin'nee, the Muscle Sword Cultist who served as the strongarm of the Jusenkyo Preservation Society, Ranma fired three shots at the beast's head; even if they couldn't really damage it, he figured that the armour-piercing rounds would at least get its attention.

They did; the beast screamed thunderously, an inhuman sound of pain and fury, and charged towards him, leaping into the air in a powerful jumping strike with the axehead of its weapon. Ranma dodged aside and the blow instead cut the pole he'd just clung to cleanly in half, with the creature chasing after Ranma the instant after the weapon had passed through the obstacle. Ranma headed straight for the gate, then wheeled aside at the last second. The creature, which evidently didn't have Ranma's reflexes, skidded until it was directly beneath the gate- at which point Ranma shot the lever and dropped the steel barricade upon the beast. The sheer weight of it smashed the beast into the ground, and Ranma repressed a cheer- wisely so, as the beast laboriously pushed against the gate, finally freeing an arm and using it to push the weight off its chest and climb out from beneath it.

"Oh shit…"

At first glance, it appeared unharmed, but then Ranma noticed the great punctures in its flesh trickling black ichor, as well as the way it seemed to sway slightly, as though it was unsteady on its feet. With the embers of hope rekindled in his heart, Ranma looked around and spotted a second gate at the opposite end of the station. He instantly began running towards it, slowing only to throw a glance over his shoulder, an action that was almost the death of him when the beast somehow went from _'over there' _to _'right here'_ in the blink of an eye, thrusting with its spearhead in an attempt to skewer Ranma through the back. Ranma dodged and weaved as best he could, eventually having to backflip directly over his opponent to evade one particularly savage thrust. He wasn't expecting the beast to suddenly twist around as though it had no joints in its waist, and was lucky that he managed to react in time that the axehead simply gashed a vicious path across his arm rather than cleaving it off.

As the spearhead came up in an attempt to disembowel him, Ranma lunged forward and seized onto it as best as he could with his weakened arm, planting a foot on it for extra stability as he used as a springboard to launch himself to the gate. He landed awkwardly; slamming his gashed arm into the ground with such force that it audibly broke. His cry of pain seemed to arouse the beast's attention, which wheeled to face him. It brandished its weapon, a sickly violet aura shimmering into existence around the polearm before it suddenly exploded into action, streaking across the cracked concrete with incredible speed. Ranma was almost caught off guard, but managed to dive aside just in time, though the beast's bladed helmet slashed an agonising gash across his chest. As he half-rolled half-fell aside, he fired three more Nail bullets at the creature's hamstring, causing it to skid out of control and fall face down on the floor beneath the gate. It slowly raised itself off the floor, twisting its head unnaturally to stare directly into Ranma's eyes as it did so.

"Game over."

The lever destroyed by Ranma's bullet, the gate slammed home, practically bisecting the beast in half along the vertical axis. The sound of impact was horrific, but in its wake came a faint skittering noise. Breathing heavily in equal parts pain and exhaustion, Ranma's eyes fell upon something that had apparently been knocked from the beast's grasp. It was a small emblem, but Ranma finally recognised as one of the key-swords from that mural. Painfully heaving himself to his feet, he stooped down and picked it up, placing it in a chest pocket before heading to the train. Fortunately for him it was empty, and he moved unhindered into the engine, where he engaged the mechanisms and sent it moving to the warehouse district. Collapsing into a seat, he dug around in his pack and finally pulled forth a Regen Serum, unhesitatingly plunging it into his neck. This time he lost consciousness, and he welcomed the all-consuming dark.

As the last carriage of the train vanished out of the station, the silent bulk of the beast began to move. Snarling in fury, it pushed against the weight pressing it down and finally forced its way free. For a second it teetered on its feet, looking liable to fall over, then regained its footing. Eyes blazing like hellfire, it slowly began walking after the departed train, the flow of ichor stemming as its ruined flesh began to reknit itself and bones fused back together.

_Originally, the "City" region would have been just one big chapter, but it was so large that we decided to split it up into two chapters; "Uptown" and "Downtown". This one chapter is perhaps the largest piece of writing I have ever done, and my gratitude goes out to all who've reviewed and enjoyed this work of ours. I would like to address a personal thank you to the mysterious "Franz Hempel", who emailed me a copy of both "Me and My Infernal Shadow" and "And Hell Followed With Him". This will make things much easier when Gideon020 and I repost those projects, so many thanks to you- both for your generosity, and for being a fan of my works._

_Bore Worm_

_A mindlessly rapacious annelid native to the Void Between, the null-dimension between all realities. These predatory vermin are sometimes conjured forth by magi in need of their viciousness, but this is a rare occurrence, as they are both quite frail and unable to survive for long outside of their native reality._

**_All teeth and appetite with no room for brains. They ain't too hard to kill, but they tend to hunt in packs. If you can avoid 'em long enough, they tend to drop dead on their own._**

"_Identity Unknown"_

_This individual is sheathed in an arcane aura that prevents identification. All that is known about this demon is what can be visually deduced; it is all but invulnerable, incredibly strong and utterly lethal. The unusual weapon it wields, coupled with its physical capabilities and innate teleportation ability, is deadly. Maximum caution and evasive manoeuvres is the recommended course of action_

**_Oh brother; this guy is big, nasty and you can't hurt it, what more do you need to know? Avoid at all costs._**


	4. Chapter 4

Shadows & Blood 

_Disclaimer: Neither Gideon020 nor I own Ranma ½ or any related characters in any way, shape or form. The Realm of Dark Skies, and all attendant characters/concepts, is our mutual creation and thus legally ours. Note: set late 6th season of the anime, like all my works._

**Author's Notes:** I'm surprised that this has gotten any positive reviews; I was expecting either none at all, or negative ones. Oh, and just to make things clear: I didn't know until after I'd written the chapter where we introduced her that Nodoka, in canon, is actually quite poor (though I did know that she's got no skill with the katana she's always carrying). Just chalk it up to this being AU. Natalie-E-G: I'd like to respond to your review, really I would, but I just can't make heads nor tails of it.

Chapter 3: Getting Back an Edge

"Oh, my head… that was one weird dream though…"

Ranma shook his head, though in truth more to clear his thoughts then from any pain. Whilst unconscious, he'd undergone a very strange dream- or had it been a vision? He was standing in a hospital room –a proper one, not the gore-splattered ruin he'd been in when he'd awoken into this nightmare– where his body was lying on the bed. Akane, Shampoo, Ukyo and Kodachi had all been there, as well as a mysterious older woman who, nevertheless, somehow seemed familiar to him.

Curiosity prompted him to open the window and look outside, enjoying the cool air rushing past him as he did. The train was evidently close to the warehouse district now, judging by both his surroundings and the fact that the forest and mountain were closer. Looking intensely, Ranma thought he could make out part of a large facility, though whether it was past the mountain or built into it he could say. He blinked as he saw what looked like a glint of light flying through the air from beyond the mountain- which quickly revealed itself to be a missile on a direct course for the train!

Ranma pulled his head back inside, but the missile had apparently been misaimed and it slammed into a building, detonating in a flare of supernatural-looking flames and smashing it to rubble. Ranma exhaled in relief- only for the train to take a turn and reveal a cloud of hundreds of missiles, all of them aimed at the train.

"Shit!"

Ranma darted for the control panel and threw the engine into maximum speed, the train speeding up with a tortured groan as the air became filled with the screaming whistles of descending missiles. The train shook to a thunderous chorus as the poorly aimed missiles slammed into the ground and nearby buildings, but otherwise remained unharmed. Of course, Ranma's luck quickly turned for the worse; a sudden massive jolt almost threw Ranma off his feet, and it didn't take a genius to figure out from the way the train lurched and jolted that they'd been hit. Another missile slammed into the tracks a few hundred meters ahead, and Ranma desperately hit the brakes. They screamed in agony but the train had just built up too much speed; it derailed itself and hurtled off the tracks towards a nearby warehouse, spilling onto its side as it slid. Not that Ranma knew that though; all he was aware of was a massive impact, then stars filled his vision before everything went black…

It was hard to say precisely what woke Ranma up again. It might have been the stench of chemical and electrical fires, the sensation of an uncomfortable degree of heat, or the faint crackling of things burning. Whatever it was, he woke with a groan to find his head and other parts of his body aching and himself sprawled on cold cement in front of the blazing wreckage of the train. He hauled himself to his feet with a groan, though a cursory examination revealed nothing damaged other than a plethora of bruises. So maybe his luck wasn't all-bad after all. Ranma was still understandably angry though.

"Dammit, I'm getting sick of people trying to shoot me, cut me open and blow me up!"

Shaking his head, Ranma took in his surroundings. It was obvious that the train had crashed into some sort of warehouse, and it a pretty large one at that. The place was filled with a multitude of rectangular steel containers, in all different sizes. They sort of reminded Ranma of military supply crates, invoking his memories of the time when he and Genma had temporarily settled in a US Army base during their half-year long sojourn in America. It stuck out in his mind because that was one of the few times Genma had ever earned a legitimate living; teaching Saotome Anything-Goes (well, the basics of it at least) to the army personnel living there. He quickly snapped back to reality when his stomach decided it was time to point out that it'd been- well, he didn't know how long it'd been since he'd eaten last.

And it was here his luck continued to wax beneficial; one of the crates had been smashed open, spilling its contents all over the floor- and said contents happened to be enough M.R.Es to keep even Ranma going for weeks. Limping slightly, Ranma walked over and, after checking to ensure that what was there was still edible, began to eat his fill. Hunger sated, he bent down and began piling the remnants into his backpack; after all, there was no way of knowing how long he'd be here or when he'd find more food. Once he was satisfied with the amount of M.R.Es that'd vanished into the bottomless depths of his backpack, he started walking down the corridor formed in between the crates.

He had just leapt over a crate that blocked his way when an all too familiar inhuman howl of fury suddenly split the air. The beast from the gate and the train station suddenly leapt onto the top of a pillar of crates, screaming in fury and without so much as a scratch remaining from their last encounter.

"Ah shit, not you again!"

Ranma instantly darted down the nearest corridor that presented itself, the beast's footsteps echoing behind him. As he raced along, he noticed a particularly large container being suspended upon a jack. Mind racing, he kicked it fiercely, causing it to collapse and block the entrance behind him. As the beast bellowed wrathfully behind him, Ranma raced on down the corridor, screeching to halt near another jack-supported crate, as well as a crude set of "steps" made from more crates. Ranma was about to kick the jack and move on, but stopped as he recalled how nothing yet had been so straightforward. Climbing up the steps revealed the layout of the warehouse, revealing more of the collapsible crates and, Ranma's goal, the exit. Ranma spent precious time staring and working out the pattern as the sound of metal being ripped apart came from behind him. Finally figuring he had it worked out, he jumped back down to the foot of the staircase and darted past the jack, narrowly avoiding being caught by the monster in the process.

When Ranma came to the third jack, he kicked it down, closing off the corridor he'd taken but opening a new one- which doubled back to the second, though he still ignored it. Jacks four and five he dislodged, which gave him access to jack seven. Blocking that off led back to jack two, which he dislodged to lead him to jack six. Smirking, he kicked this, the last jack- but whether because he'd misjudged the pattern or because of the monster chasing him, his actions provoked a landslide of shipping crates. Darting through the now-open gap as heavy steel containers came tumbling down all around him, Ranma darted for the safety of an open (and, thankfully, empty) crate, diving inside and slamming the lid shut as all hell broke loose.

He crouched there silently, waiting for the chaos outside to stop. When it stopped though, he didn't leave; he had no doubts that his opponent had survived. Several minutes later, he was proven right. He waited several minutes more before he finally heard the beast stomp off into the night, ripping open the door on its way out. When he was positive the beast was gone, Ranma emerged from his hiding spot. He was about to go out through the door when he heard something- seed-song. Following it around a corner, he found the spell-seed floating in front of a precarious pile of crates. Eyeing them warily, he moved forward cautiously and reached out his hand, idly noticing a sensation akin to someone tapping him on the chest as he did so.

He moaned ecstatically as the bonding process completed itself, the sound and the sensation almost blinding him to the fact that the pillar was collapsing onto him. Instead of leaping for safety, Ranma froze and instinctively raised a hand in a warding gesture. A ripple seemed to thrust through the air from Ranma's hand and slammed into the falling crates like a divine fist, hurling them backwards and scattering them across the warehouse. Recovering, Ranma blinked in shock.

"Did I do that? Just what did I pick up anyway?"

_Shockwave_

_A spell-seed primarily designed for defensive usage, the aptly named Shockwave sends a ring of invisible force pulsing from the caster to strike a target. Whilst it inflicts no damage on its own, the concussive force is useful for disrupting enemy attackers, or for manipulation of the caster's environs. Applications of Amplifier Crystals can augment the strength and versatility of this spell-seed._

**_Knock yer enemies for a loop without laying a finger on 'em; great for catching a breather._**

Stowing the book away again, Ranma thought to himself that this spell-seed sounded very useful indeed. He wondered for a second if he'd keep any of this magic he was picking up when he finally got back to Nerima; imagine the look on the old freak's face when Ranma sent him flying with a wave of his hand! Chuckling to himself at that image, Ranma exited the warehouse, keeping a watchful eye for "the hunter", as he'd started to call the thing. Seeing no sign of his enemy, he continued walking down the street, heading towards a large and apparently intact warehouse with the number "16" painted on its roof.

Wait a second, what was that noise? A sort of metallic clank, followed by the unmistakable (for a Jusenkyo-cursed anyway) sound of water sloshing over the ground. Ranma's pistol was primed and ready in a split-second, the cursed (more so than usual) martial artist scanning the streets in preparation for this latest attacker. And that was when the sewer grate behind him suddenly exploded, some sort of misshapen figure ripping through rusty steel and crumbling concrete to charge Ranma, who instantly whirled around to defend himself. He had a vague impression of a human corpse, lower jaw missing, flesh fluid-bloated and sodden, skin the myriad hues of advanced decay, the stench of chemicals and filth and pustulant rot, before he opened fire, three armour-piercing rounds (he hadn't thought to change his clip yet) ripping into his attacker.

Who promptly exploded in a great cloud of sickly yellow-tinted greenish-purple mists, which swept onward to engulf the surprised Ranma, shock causing him to instinctively inhale. And he instantly regretted that; acid seared his lungs, his eyes burned and he stumbled from the cloud, coughing and retching, barely able to see as his legs ceased to work and he collapsed onto the street. Blood dripping from his lips, Ranma frantically pulled off his backpack and dug for a vial of UAT, desperately injecting it into his neck. Almost instantly the pain was replaced by an icy numbness, and Ranma wondered for a heartbeat if maybe he'd been too late and this was the final symptom before death. Then the numbness vanished, and Ranma pushed himself to his feet, wiping his eyes clear and reshouldering his pack.

"Okay, note to self; don't let those things get too close."

As he continued onward, he was unaware that he was being watched from the shadows of a nearby alleyway. The unseen watcher watched Ranma go until he was out of sight, and then smiled the grin of a demented Cheshire's Cat before easing his motorcycle out of the alleyway and down a side-road.

"Why would anyone need a warehouse this big? And what's with the heavy-duty lock on the doors?" Ranma asked himself as he climbed up the ladder that had proven the only way to access "warehouse number sixteen", the roads being blockaded. Finally pulling himself onto the gantry, he pushed open the door and headed inside, stopping to take in the surroundings. Amongst the maze of crates and containers, he spotted half a dozen of what were obviously missiles, as well as the far door (access to which was blocked off by a weird curtain of shimmering energy that separated roughly the last third of the warehouse from the portion where Ranma was). Of perhaps greater importance were the other things he saw; a ritual circle, a spell-seed, and no less than two amplifier crystals! Unfortunately, the circle was near the far door and the other items were on top of crates, all of them blocked off by gaps that Ranma wasn't able to leap.

It was then his gaze fell upon a crane at the corner- only for something to make itself apparent in his peripheral vision, prompting him to shift his gaze to get a better look. On the ground at the foot of the crane, apparently playing with something, was that weird kid he'd seen before! Ranma darted to the ladder and slid down it, darting forward once he'd touched the ground in an effort to finally catch the strange child. He was barely a few paces away when the kid started, simultaneously turning to face him and dropping whatever it'd been toying with before vanishing into thin air again.

Sighing softly in resignation, Ranma bent down and picked up the strange gizmo. It was basically an elongated handle, something like an enlarged screwdriver with a small cluster of buttons where the thumb could access, ending in a metal pad ringed by three currently clenched claws. Ranma looked it over curiously and reached for the notebook he'd come to depend upon.

_Magna-Grapple_

_A military tool utilised for rappelling and similar arboreal activities, the combination of a powerful magnet and gripping claws enable it to catch onto a variety of surfaces with great tenacity. Useful for clearing gaps and ascending or descending quickly._

**_Make like Tarzan (or someone from a bad 80's spy flick), but the range ain't that great- so watch yerself._**

Curiosity piqued, Ranma turned and aimed the magna-grapple at the gantry from which he'd just descended. It fell short of the railing by a few feet, but the second try had it snap onto the third ladder rung. Giving it an experimental tug, Ranma took a second to compose himself before simultaneously pressing the "retract" button and leaping forward. The gadget pulled him with minimal effort to its position, and it was the work of a single motion to detach its grip and haul himself onto the gantry before heading toward the crane's cab with the intention of using the crane to move the missiles. Despite the slight drawback of there being a monkey wrench jammed into the motor (which he removed via the magna-grapple, albeit almost electrocuting himself in the process), Ranma managed to find a diagram that helped him to figure out where to put each missile.

"Okay… put missile number 1 there… move number 5 again and put it here… got it!"

Heading out of the cab, Ranma walked back along the gantry, taking in the altered terrain of the warehouse. It didn't take him longer than a few seconds to realise that his efforts had not only cleared the ground, they'd also bridged the gaps on the "high road", thus allowing him to reach the spell-seed and amplifier crystals. Springing from the gallery to land on the closest end of the "road", Ranma set out towards the spell-seed, tentatively balancing his way across two missiles in the process. This spell-seed emitted a warm, comfortable glow, and rather than icy ecstasy he'd felt before the bonding produced a sensation that Ranma thought must be what being hugged by a loved one must be like.

_Flame Tongue_

_One of the more complex forms of pyromancy, this spell-seed imbues the user with the ability to project and direct tendrils of fire, which enables the wielder to make use of this magic in situations where more conventional fire spells would be impractical. Amplification increases the length of the tentacles and the fury of their spirit, rendering them all the more deadly. This spell-seed's complexity means that intense focus is required to maintain its effect._

**_Keep yer focus or you'll gutter like a candle. If ya can master this though, then ya really do have what it takes ta be a mage. Besides, who don't love the smell of deep-fried extra-crispy pests?_**

After a little self-demonstration of his newfound power, Ranma headed after the amplifier crystals. Keeping his footing on the missiles was trickier than he'd anticipated -more due to fear of accidentally setting them off than any real problems with his balance- but Ranma finally managed to grab the first crystal and, after a little deliberation, decided to apply it to the Shockwave. As he headed after the second one, his mind started to wander.

"Man, that was one weird dream I had on the train… all the girls in the same room? Without fighting? Yeah, right! …Still, I wonder who that lady was? She seemed nice… and strangely familiar…"

_**At that moment, in Nerima General Hospital…**_

"I tell you, it doesn't make any sense! The evidence is undeniable, but it's completely impossible!" complained on doctor to the others currently sharing the break room with him. One surgeon, a woman, shook her head softly.

"This is Nerima- you get used to things being a little… odd."

"Yeah, but this wasn't a 'little odd'! I'm telling you, his body was showings signs of recently inflicted trauma- gunshot wounds, severe bruising, broken bones- right now the labs are analysing a chemical sample we found permeating his lungs and bloodstream. It's some sort of a combination of neurotoxin and hundreds of never-before-seen breeds of virulent pathogens- by all rights the boy should be dead! And what happens? All the symptoms vanished, just like that! I'm telling you, there's something weird going on with that kid."

"So what else is new? You must be new to Nerima, or didn't you recognize that that's Saotome Ranma we've got lying there?" Added a physiotherapist.

"You're kidding? Saotome Ranma? The Master Martial Artist of Mayhem? The Demon of Nerima? I thought that guy was supposed to be unkillable!"

"Yeah, well, apparently he finally ran up against a bigger fish. Still, best we keep this recent turn of events to ourselves, yeah? After all, there's no harm done, right?"

"…Isn't that illegal?" asked a junior nurse, prompting soft sighs from the others.

"Listen, if word like that gets out, then we aren't looking at a lawsuit or an investigation- we're looking at four very ticked-off girls!"

"You mean those four sweet girls that've been visiting him? What harm could they do?"

"I've seen those 'sweet girls' rip through a concrete wall like it was runny butter. Believe me, getting them upset is the last thing we need."

"Yeah, that fanged kid who stumbled into his room yesterday night and started smashing the place up was bad enough. If it weren't for the fact that Chinese girl had come to visit, we might have had a murder case on our hands."

_**Back to the nightmare…**_

Ranma eyed the barrier speculatively. Up close, he could see it in a bit more detail- primarily the fact that leering, malevolent eyes and gnashing maws continuously formed and dissolved upon the surface, howls, wails and screams forming a twisted chorus that should have been unnerving. They probably would have if it weren't for the fact Ranma was growing accustomed to this place and the way it worked. He noticed strange-looking devices planted at the base of the wall, and the fact that they had power cables snaking from them to join together and disappear into a nearby gap made it pretty obvious that they had something to do with the wall's existence. Ranma was startled from his introspection when a malformed appendage, half grasping, clawing talon and half deformed face, lunged from the wall at him. Of course, even with his diminished abilities Ranma was able to dodge this. Throwing an indignant glare at the wall, he shucked off his backpack and squeezed through the gap.

Of course, the absolute last thing he was expecting was to wind up in a long tunnel apparently composed entirely of the weird walls. The gap having vanished behind him, Ranma instinctively spoke his opinion aloud.

"Shit."

After that he had no more time for speech, being too concerned with calling up all that remained of his speed, reflexes and agility to race down the tunnel whilst avoiding being gutted, eaten or generally mutilated. Numerous twists and turns later, Ranma flung himself into a small chamber where the snaking cable he'd followed embedded itself in a large fuse box. As fast as he could he lunged up, grabbed onto the cable and ripped it free in a shower of sparks, prompting an ear-splitting scream of fury as the chamber winked out of existence. And then he found himself lying on his back in a completely normal nook made of containers, his backpack visible through the crack behind him. Dusting himself off, he squeezed back through and put it on before continuing on into the warehouse.

"When I finally get back to Nerima, the next time bacon-breath goes on his 'because of you I've seen hell' spiel, I don't know if I'm gonna hit him or laugh in his face… hmm… maybe I'll do both…"

Ranma stopped in his tracks; he'd just spotted a crate nearby that something had evidently tried and failed to break into. Reasoning that, given the way things had been, it was probably in his best interest to find out what was inside, he pulled out his crowbar and snapped it open. Inside, he found three things; two gun parts, and what looked like a traditional bo, made from some unfamiliar black wood, with what looked like five gem-settings along its length. Ignoring the gun parts for now, he gently picked up the staff and hefted it experimentally. It seemed to fit into his hands as though made especially for him, and on a whim Ranma began to practise a quarterstaff kata. Though his physical abilities had dropped, he'd lost none of his former skill, and the staff seemed to sing through the air as he struck and parried. Unconsciously he began to focus on it as he'd learned to do with the Samurai Edge and the Dagger of Time, almost losing his place in the kata when a dagger-like blade suddenly shot from either end of the staff.

Recovering his place, he continued the kata, instinctively proceeding to the point where he would normally begin channelling his ki into the staff. To his amazement, the procedure worked- to a degree, and only whilst wielding the staff with the blades deployed, as he discovered. In other words, so long as he satisfied those conditions, he could regain some small measure of his previous abilities! Naturally delighted with this turn of events, he stowed away his other weapons, pausing only to grab the two gun parts –a long slide and a fixed zoom scope- and install them onto the Samurai Edge and headed onwards into the warehouse, hoping to reach the door and get out before something else happened.

As though the very thought had jinxed him, gurgling wails began to fill the air, half a dozen misshaped forms lurching from the shadows at high speed. At the same time, an all-too familiar keening noise sounded from behind him, and as he watched the concrete began to split open, bore worms gnawing their way to the surface. Ranma reacted instinctively, staff slicing through the air to slash and impale the wriggling demon-vermin. Their numbers overwhelming his position, and the bloated abominations from before advancing from behind, he leapt into the air and, in a modification of a familiar manoeuvre, landed on the head of one rotten beast, viciously twisting with his feet whilst using its head as platform from which to strike the leaping bore worms.

When his impromptu mount's neck snapped, Ranma dropped gracefully to the floor as toxic fumes rose from the corpse, poisoning the bore worms that tried to squirm or leap over it. Two more the decaying freaks lunged at him, trying to catch him in a pincer movement, but Ranma instead brandished his staff in an artistic flourish that split both of them open from skullcap to crotch. As the last of his enemies made a mass assault, Ranma decided to "borrow" a trick from the beast he'd come to call "the hunter", spinning on the spot as fast as possible whilst simultaneously flourishing his staff, becoming a whirling vortex that hacked, hewed and sundered any flesh that fell into its range.

When Ranma stopped, he was the epicentre of a great mass of gore, the last fumes of the rotting beasts dissipating in the wind. Smiling for the first time since he'd woken to this hellhole, and absently wondering why the bloated things hadn't exploded when he'd cut them, he headed onward, rounding the corner to finally find the exit- which was locked with a heavy-duty lock that Ranma couldn't break, even with the staff or his trusty crowbar.

"Ain't that just typical? Ah well, there must be a key or something around here- say, isn't this where I saw that ritual circle?"

A closer look at his surroundings revealed that this was indeed where the ritual circle was; behind a cluster of metallic drums. Ranma was cautious about approaching them- he wasn't a science whiz by any stretch of the imagination, but he knew what the "Corrosive" warning sign meant. Any thoughts about clambering over the pile were nullified when the mere pressure of Ranma's hand caused the lid to slip, acidic fluid welling up as he quickly snatched his hand away. Retracting the blades of his staff, he retreated back as far as he could, and then pole-vaulted over the barrels. That did raise the question of how he was going to get back over them, but Ranma was at the moment too busy absorbing the power of the ritual circle to care.

When it was over, he looked over the staff in his hands, noticing that the topmost setting was now filled with a mist-white jewel- he might have called it a pearl, except that it was cut and styled in a manner more appropriate for diamonds and other such gemstones. As he looked at it, the staff suddenly shook in his grip, seeming to writhe and squirm beneath his fingers as though it was alive. And then a shapeless white cloud began to billow from the tip of the staff, forming into a vaguely humanoid shape. As Ranma wondered precisely why this wasn't unnerving him the way it should, the cloud-form spoke, a voice ancient yet still brimming with power and vitality.

"At long last, a new worthy has claimed the sacred relic of our order. Greetings to you young master; I am Gen Fu, last Air Master of the Sacred Order of the Slayers."

"Sacred Order of the Slayers?"

"A now-lost society of martial artists, dedicated to the defence of earth from the numerous petty warlords that claim domain over the multidinuous Realms of the Void."

"…So you're saying there's more hellholes like this!?"

"Yes. But alas, now is not the time for education. When this land was overwhelmed, myself and my fellow Masters were driven from our place within the Slayer Staff and scattered across the Realm. Though I managed to bind myself to this place, my companions were sealed within elemental orbs and hidden away. Please, you must find them and restore the staff to its true power!"

"Alright, alright, I get it. I gotta get outta here first."

"That is simple. I am one of the three Masters whose presence enables the Slayer Staff to augment certain magics. I possess an affinity with the 'Shockwave' spell-seed. Call it to your mind, and unleash it upon this obstruction."

For once keeping his thoughts to himself, Ranma did as he was told. To his amazement, a howling vortex of wind hurtled from the tip of the Slayer Staff, sweeping up the barrels and spinning them around before smashing them against the door, conveniently melting it into nothingness. As Ranma's eyes widened in surprise, Gen Fu chuckled softly.

"Fare thee well now brother."

Ranma blinked in confusion, but before he could open his mouth the spectral martial artist vanished into thin air. Shaking his head in disbelief, he headed out of the ruined door. As he left, he didn't notice the dark child sitting on a container above him, watching him as he left.

Outside turned out to be a loading bay, oversized to suit the warehouse it was connected to, with great swarms of bore worms slithering along the streets from out of holes in the concrete. They didn't seem to be aware of him, and he didn't think they could reach him so long as he stuck to the concrete walkway where he currently was. Of course, that still left the problem of how he was going to get out of here… and then Ranma noticed that the walkway led in two separate directions. The first led to a motley collection of battered flatbed trailers, while the other led to a relatively clear patch of road. Ranma started heading towards the road, but stopped when an inhuman howling scream suddenly split the air- was that beast back again?

No, this was something new; as the scream grew louder, something rocketed off of a nearby rooftop and screeched to a halt amongst the bore worms. Ranma blinked as he realised it was a motorbike… sort of… in truth, it was more of a nightmarish crotch rocket formed from a grotesque melding of red flesh, blue steel and chrome-enamelled bone. In place of a headlight, a cluster of four oversized, inhuman eyes stared at him. Wisps of hellfire, like tiny tortured souls, leapt from six exhaust pipes capped with icons of screaming human faces, while the grumble of the engine reminded him of the laboured breathing of some monstrous beast. Ranma's full attention however was reserved for the rider.

Leaning back in its seat, arms crossed, was an essentially humanoid figure clad in a weird mixture of battle armour and a stereotypical biker's outfit- a leather-based motley of armour plates and chains and spikes and buckles and straps. Riding boots with spikes bolted onto the toecap and spike-knuckled leather gloves completed the ensemble. Unfortunately, it wasn't really possible to describe the rider- he seemed to be composed of solid shadow, a man-shape wrought from purest ebon-black. Other than a series of eldritch sigils wrought from faintly luminescent crimson, which randomly appeared and disappeared on his exposed "flesh", the only discernable features he had were a pair of solid green eyes.

He stared levelly at Ranma, and then grinned, an unnaturally wide crescent of gleaming white fangs that easily contrasted with the black of his flesh. Then he revved his cycle, producing an agonized scream of ecstasy, and then rocketed down the road Ranma had been going to take. As he screamed off, he pulled out a submachine gun and fired a burst at a nearby crane, detonating its fuel tanks and sending the burning mass of wreckage slamming down onto the road behind him. Ranma wasn't close enough to get hit by the debris, but he still started spewing a torrent of abuse at the creature that'd just blocked off his route. With no other alternative, he turned and headed towards the trailers.

Even with the Slayer Staff, he wasn't sure he could leap the distance. However, there were several crane hooks that dangled between the trailers, and he was pretty sure he could use the magna-grapple to swing across. And he did, though it seemed that the biker's presence had aggravated the bore worms and Ranma almost had his legs bitten off for his trouble. The road past the last trailer was clear of worms, so he dropped down. However, he could hear an all-too familiar gurgling coming from the nearby manholes and sewer grates; there were obviously more of those bloated corpse-things hiding there. Ranma carefully walked past them, avoiding alerting them to his presence, and found himself near a pair of parked tankers, hoses coming from them and feeding into an open manhole.

There was a small computer panel set up between them, and Ranma's curiosity prompted him to take a look. There was nothing on the screen though, except a faintly fuzzy field of blue. Ranma idly tapped on various buttons, before finally losing his patience with the thing's lack of response and slamming the top of it with his fist. At this it voice a whirring hum, the blue screen replaced by a black one, words scrolling upwards from the bottom.

_Automated flushing cycle engaged…_

_Checking chemical reserves… chemical reserves sufficient…_

_Checking water pressure… water pressure adequate…_

_Activate cycle Y/N?_

Ranma pressed the "Y" button, and one of the tankers began pumping its contents down into the sewer, prompting screams and howls from whatever was hiding down there. Just as quickly as it'd started, it shut itself off and the other tanker took over, blasting down a high-pressure torrent of water.

_Cycle complete. All blockages purged. Shutting down._

Its usefulness now ended, Ranma turned away from the control panel; it looked like he now had a way to get past the blockade that biker had caused! Prising open a manhole, Ranma dropped down into the sewers. It was wet and dripping, but clean and not so wet as to activate his curse. Ranma walked onward, following the path he remembered taking "topside". Through the holes from which the worms had been spilling (they'd evidently been flushed away with the bloats, as he'd come to call them), he could see the burning mass of debris. Once he'd passed beneath it, he climbed up to the next manhole. Seeing a nearby building marked "shipping office", Ranma headed towards it- maybe he'd find a map or something that would let him get out of this place already!

Comfortably seated atop the burning wreckage, the dark child watched as Ranma entered the shipping office, waiting until he was well and truly inside before raising its hand and causing the door to slam shut and lock Ranma inside.

"Crap. Ah well, to be honest I was expecting this."

Ignoring the clutter of chewed bones and rotting bore worms, his gaze passing sightlessly over the bloodstains, bullet holes and other debris, Ranma traded his Slayer Staff for the Samurai edge, tucking the quarterstaff into a holder he found (though he was sure it hadn't been there before). That done, he ejected the Nail clip at last and, after clicking his tongue over all the armour-piercing bullets he'd spent, slipt it back into his pack before replacing it with a full clip of ordinary rounds. That done, he set out to explore, figuring that somehow he'd find a way out of here- it'd worked so far after all. Through rooms dilapidated, but empty, his search proved futile- but fruitful, all the same. Two clips of bullets, plus enough loose Nail rounds to fill his emptied clip, but those were mere pocket change compared to the real prize: no less than two spell-seeds!

Taking advantage of his apparent safety, Ranma took this as an opportunity to study his future arcane powers. Like the book had said, there was indeed symbols floating inside the crystalline artefacts. The first one's symbol resembled a wall with some sort of eldritch rune carved into it. When Ranma absorbed it, the feeling was a strange, comforting feeling of strength and stability. The second one's symbol was a strangely warped skull, wisps of fetid looking green vapour pouring from its opened jaws and the sockets of its nose and eyes. Ranma couldn't help but shudder at the feeling of numb loneliness that washed through his body when he absorbed it. Shaking it off, he pulled out the notebook to find out just what he'd picked up.

_Acid Bomb_

_The Acid Bomb is a spell-seed engineered primarily for combat, and for the removal of obstacles- artificial and otherwise. This spell-seed launches a baseball-sized orb of green slime that, upon contact with an enemy or obstacle, begins to eat through any materials that aren't magically reinforced, a fact that quickly prompted such reinforcement in facilities across the Realm. In a combat capacity, the Acid Bomb can reduce flesh and armour to a bubbling puddle of goo, prompting any intelligent enemies to take cover, and with judicious usage a mage can keep even the most well armed enemy pinned down or on the run. With enhancement, clouds of poison gas are emitted as the spell breaks down._

_**Why put holes in someone when you can melt them into mush?**_

_Rune Wall_

_A defensive spell designed to provide temporary cover for fire teams in the field, the Rune Wall create a wall of rock inscribed with ancient shielding runes, allowing the wall to survive direct hits by artillery and heavy weaponry for sufficient time to enable fire teams to pull back or direct their own fire at a target. Further enhancements increase the duration and durability of the wall, allowing an experienced fire team unparalleled survivability in heavy combat situations._

_**Put one of these up if someone has you dead to rights in the open, and you can breathe a sigh of relief and enjoy a few seconds of crucial cover. You're going to be using this one a lot, I can tell.**_

Nodding to himself in satisfaction –these looked like they'd be useful- Ranma resumed his search, which finally brought him to what had evidently been the employee's lounge. He blinked in confusion at the sight of a fireplace at the other end, but then choose to ignore it to examine the weird-looking device sitting on the table. It was a strange little thing, looking something vaguely like a remote or circuit board. There was a slip of paper beneath it with writing on it, and Ranma read it over to see if it detailed what function this device served.

'Note to all test teams; attach device to Backpack of Holding to activate properties.'

Somewhat curious, Ranma shrugged off his backpack and, after a little fiddling, managed to finally attach the device to a relatively blank portion of the backpack where it wouldn't be in the way. He had no sooner secured it than the device promptly became active; issuing a chorus of beeps and chirps before finally quieting down with a barely audible hum. As he wondered what that had been all about, he suddenly realised that his pistol was sitting slightly off-balance in his hand- nothing he couldn't adjust for, but it was as though it had somehow… grown. Puzzled, he looked at it- and found that the clip holder seemed to have extended. Ejecting the clip confirmed it; the magazine had doubled the amount of bullets held in his clip. And not just it either; all of his spare clips, normal ammo and specialised, had also been doubled.

"Now this is useful."

Pulling his pack back on, and reslotting his clip, he decided to go over and look at the fireplace. He noticed two things odd about it almost simultaneously, though one of them wasn't really that odd- the fireplace was neatly filled with logs ready to be lit, and there was a weird sort of plaque or mounting built into the stones above the mantle, a blank piece of parchment set into it. Now this was obvious, even to someone who'd never played videogames before; Ranma concentrated, and a tongue of flame lashed from his hand to ignite the logs in the fireplace. As they blazed merrily away, the parchment slowly darkened, then lines began to form upon its surface. Within a minute or so, what was unmistakably a map had formed on its surface, and Ranma smiled as he plucked it from the mount- maybe now he could finally find a way out of here.

His smile only widened as he finally managed to pinpoint a road that should lead him out of the city at last, though first he'd have to find a way out of the shipping office. Slipping the map into his backpack, he decided to take one final look around the lounge before exploring the rest of the shipping office, which eventually resulted in the discovery of two things; a small, thick book titled "Salazar Mule's Fascinating Flora and Fauna of the Realm" and a purple, padlocked wooden box emblazoned with a freakish clown face. Ranma stared at it incredulously, finding it hard to believe just how ugly the face was, before drawing his crowbar and using it to prise the thing apart. Inside, was a single, solitary, conical-headed mushroom, yellow markings of skulls and hourglasses speckling its head. Putting the crowbar back inside his backpack, Ranma picked up the mushroom and the book and left the lounge; he wanted to be somewhere a bit more defensible before he tried examining either of these.

Finally finding his way to the foreman's office, Ranma slipped inside and locked himself in. Inside, the desk was covered in scattered, blood-spattered papers, whilst a trail of blood led to a closed window and a fire escape beyond that. Ranma took note of that with interest, and then turned to examine what had caught his attention primarily; a gun locker, secured by a powerful locking system of hydraulics and magnets attached to an electronic keypad. Ranma examined the papers, finding nothing that resembled a combination code, and then invoked Revelation. However, this time, Ranma didn't find anything: no codes written on the walls, no cryptic message on the ceiling, not a thing.

As Ranma wondered how he was going to break into the gun locker without the codes, he noticed that the mushroom he was holding was literally glowing like a miniature sun- and then the magic dissipated and it went back to normal. Curious, Ranma sat down on the desktop, put the mushroom safely beside himself, and began flicking through the book he'd brought along from the lounge. Flicking idly through it until he reached the section on mushrooms, Ranma stopped as he finally found something that looked like the fungus sitting beside him.

_Shaman's Trip_

_"In the darkest parts of the massive forests that blankets much of the Realm's interior, the magical energies of the Void Between condense and permeate to a far higher degree, and possess a far more primal nature. This primal nature allows the energies to meld with plants and animals, especially predators, thus producing a variety of mutations, the most extreme example being the Feralkin. One of the most prominent example of this melded evolution in plant-life is the mushroom known as Shaman's Trip, a powerful hallucinogenic fungus capable of bypassing the laws of reality and allowing for literally anything to happen."_

_"Locked doors are opened, barriers and walls vanish, but this comes at a cost; one cannot, under any circumstances, attempt to use the Shaman's Trip without using the Revelation spell-seed or some other manner of divinatory spell beforehand. Without the presence of internalised divinatory magic to stabilise the ambient energies of the fungus, the Shaman's Trip is lethally poisonous. Some have said that upon waking from a bite of Shaman's Trip they have found themselves in a completely different area of the Realm to where they began, but this has not been fully proven."_

Ranma held up the mushroom next to the picture, comparing the two to see if this truly was a Shaman's Trip. Then, somewhat disbelieving he was actually doing this, Ranma invoked Revelation and, once his vision was completely overlaid with magic, munched down the mushroom. To his surprise, it didn't taste half-bad- a sort of nutty, buttery taste, and he closed his eyes to savour it. When he opened them though, it almost came back up again. The walls, floor, ceiling, all of them were stained a hellish shade of red, whilst beyond the window was nothing but a raging sea of flames. Ranma quickly looked away- and found that the gun locker was now open, which prompted him to put the book into his pack and see what was inside.

The contents turned out to be an old-fashioned bolt-action sniper rifle, with two stripper clips of .303 ammo beside it and a modern scope mounted on top of it. Pocketing the ammo, Ranma gently lifted the rifle, tracing a finger over the faintly luminescent infernal-looking runes (which glowed red, white and blue) before making some mock-postures with it, testing its weight and heft. Nodding in satisfaction, Ranma turned and headed towards the door, only to stop when the phone rang behind him. Wait a second, had there been a phone there before? Ranma shook his head in confusion and picked up the crimson receiver.

"Hello?"

"This is six! Six! All friends are dead! This is nine! Nine! Duck when the siren sounds! This is ten! Ten! Ignore the siren! Even if you leave us alone you will never leave us alone! This is six! This is fuckin' SIX!!!"

Ranma winced as the barely-human voice trailed off abruptly into nothingness, the receiver dropping carelessly from his hands. Unwilling to touch it again, Ranma headed toward the door… only for his head to begin to spin, before everything went black…

"Uh, my head… what happened?"

Ranma pushed himself into an upright position, eyes closed while he rubbed his aching head with his free hand. That breeze was sort of soothing though… wait a second; breeze? Ranma opened his eyes and blinked to find he was no longer in the office, but lying in what looked like a park beside a lake. The reason he could tell he was in a park and not out in the forest was because he could see the shipping office, not too far away, though obscured by the smoke from a particularly thick fire. Ranma pushed himself to his feet, and noticed in the process that his backpack was missing. Ranma restrained a strange, almost instinctive urge to panic, and spotted it sitting neatly on a nearby park bench, the rifle lying beside it.

He walked over and rifled through the contents to ensure nothing was missing, turning up a fabric cradle for the rifle in the process. Speaking of which, what was his new acquisition anyway? Ranma pulled out the notebook and flicked past the Rune Wall and Acid Bomb entries to find the newest entry.

_Cursed Enfield_

_The Cursed Enfield's origins date somewhere around World War 2, when bands of trained commandos raided the darkest corners of Germany, Europe and Russia to destroy secret labs and temples dedicated to summoning dark horrors to engulf the Allied forces. Demonic runes inscribed along the rifle's wooden body give the shooter the ability to slow down time for a short period, the better to line up fatal headshots and disabling limb shots. Ammunition is difficult to find and the magazine capacity is only six rounds, so every shot must count. The scope is adjustable to three levels of zoom; 4x zoom, 16x zoom, and 24x zoom using sliding tab, while two dials adjust the position of the crosshairs._

**_This gun can punch through just about anything, but ammo is difficult to find and it doesn't carry that much anyway, so aim for the head and try not to miss! On the plus side, you can take out just about anything at long range and if you concentrate, time slows down for a few seconds so you can get that sweet shot._**

Ranma nodded; this sounded useful. Brow furrowed curiously, he checked the ammunition, finding that –this time- the gun was empty, which prompted him to remove an ammunition strip and slot it home. That done, he slipped on the pack and the rifle cradle, slung the rifle into its cradle and, after checking the map, began heading towards the likely way out of this town.

Whilst Ranma did so, he was unaware of the fact he was being watched. The demonic cyclist from before was perched at the top of a nearby multi-story, an insane grin of eagerness and anticipation stretched across his features. He tracked Ranma's process before gunning his engine and screaming away in a squeal of equal parts agony and ecstasy. From a nearby balcony, unseen by the demon, the dark child watched both of them vanish with an impassive expression before vanishing itself in turn.

Ranma idly chewed on an unspoiled candy bar, one of several he'd managed to extract from a ruined dispenser, as he trailed the path. So far, he hadn't run into any obstructions, either barrier or enemy, and he wasn't sure whether he should be pleased or worried about that fact. Reaching a large intersection of six roads, Ranma stopped suddenly; something didn't feel right.

And that was when, with an already all-too-familiar scream, the demonic biker from the loading bay came blazing out of nowhere, twisting to the side and screeching to a halt several feet away. Ranma braced himself for a fight as the demon leered at him- and then, much to his shock, spoke to him, in rough, gutturally accented Japanese.

"So, ya actually managed ta make it this far? Impressive… fer a human. But this is th' end of th' road fer you."

"Says you- I ain't come this far just to get beat by some snot-nosed punk with a leather fetish! Get outta my way, or I'll make you!"

"Heh- ya got some spunk, kid! I like that! Tell ya what, I'm in a bettin' mood- how's about a little wager…?"

"Like what?"

"You 'n' me fight, right here, right now. If you win, I'll pact with ya, an' if I win… well… at least you'll get a quick death- an' trust me, that's something around here these days."

Ranma laughed mockingly, then spat on the ground.

"Some offer. But it ain't like I have a choice, is it? Still, best you get ready to go down- I don't lose!"

"Ha! Then let's get it on human!"

The demon leaned back in his seat, drawing a submachine gun and a well-used machete as the bike spun itself to face Ranma, revving itself despite the fact its master's hands were nowhere near the handles. Ranma drew his own handgun, eyes locked on the demon's without any flicker of weakness. And then, with a sudden roar of fury, the hellspawn's bike lunged forward in a wheelie, curving sword-like fangs sprouting from the rubbery flesh of its front wheel, rendering it a shrieking buzzsaw aimed directly at Ranma's throat.

Ranma flung himself aside, then launched himself into a cartwheel as his opponent's machete almost bisected him. He had no sooner landed than he had to twist and throw himself to the left to evade a barrage of gunfire. Spinning to his feet, Ranma took aim and fired, the bullets simply bouncing from leather and armour plate. A headshot didn't even provoke so much as a blink in response, and Ranma had to leap aside again to evade a combination donut/machete slash.

The fight took on a more mobile aspect after that, and here Ranma was sorely outmatched, even with his remaining martial arts prowess boosted by the Slayer's Staff. Ranma's pistol had no effect, and the complex manoeuvres his opponent was pulling off made it impossible to hit him with a Dart- and Ranma couldn't focus to use his new Flame Tongue power without leaving himself vulnerable to machete or bullets. Finally, in desperation, Ranma pulled out the Cursed Enfield and took aim. Feeling a familiar tugging at his senses, Ranma surrendered himself to it, and to his amazement time seemed to slow to a crawl. Ignoring the way the world became tinted with shades of orange, deep blue and red, Ranma targeted his opponent's head and fired.

At once time resumed its normal course, the hellish bike screaming to a halt as its rider was thrown back in his seat. A howl of pain and fury split the air before the demon glared at Ranma, the hole in his head slowly ceasing to leak rainbow-hued ichor before closing. Ranma instinctively raised the rifle and fired again, not using its focus power this time. The bullet slammed into the demon's head again, pitching him to the side with such force it almost knocked him from his mount. He recovered though, and responded with a chattering burst of gunfire that sent Ranma scrambling for the cover of a nearby mass of debris.

He failed to reach it; behind him, the demon stopped firing to hurtle towards him. Ranma twisted to evade a machete swing that would have severed his spine, but the demon lashed out in a powerful kick that caught Ranma square in the chest and sent him flying into a nearby storefront. Ranma forced himself to his feet, coughing blood from the force of the impact, then twisted to evade a downward machete stroke that would have cleaved his skull in half. In response, he jammed his rifle up against the demon's face and pulled the trigger, blowing half of his face off. The demon screamed in agony and his bike shot off automatically, the demon fighting to regain control and master his pain at the same time. When his progress brought him near a gas pump, Ranma's response was predictable; he pulled out his pistol and fired a focus shot, engulfing his opponent in a massive fireball.

Unfortunately, his opponent quickly proved that reports of his demise had been greatly exaggerated, the bike rocketing from the flames with a scream of equal parts rage and joy, its rider glaring hatefully at Ranma. Spitting blood, Ranma drew the Slayer's Staff, a plan having formed in his mind. When the demon rocketed towards him, Ranma dodged aside and rammed the staff through the front wheel's spokes. Miraculously, it held, pitching biker and bike head over heels onto the road as Ranma, for added measure, used the rifle to put a bullet in what he hoped was the bike's fuel tank.

A high-pitched scream of pain split the air, trailing off into a forlorn whimpering as the bike spasmed like a living creature before going still, a faint sobbing emanating from it the only proof it was still alive. Heedless of his own injuries, the demon crawled over to the bike, cooing to it in some alien language whilst gently stroking it, like a cavalryman with a wounded horse. Lurching unsteadily to his feet, he gently drew the Slayer's Staff from its spokes- then spun around and launched it underarm at Ranma like a spear before charging him with a furious roar.

Ranma reacted instinctively, invoking his newly acquired Rune Wall spell and springing backwards. At once a great slab of bedrock burst up through the ground, cutting him off from the raging demon, who screamed in fury again and smote the obstruction. Once, twice, thrice, and it shattered into rubble- but Ranma was ready for his attacker with an Acid Bomb. The emerald orb slammed into the demon's chest, corroding through leather and steel to begin consuming the flesh beneath, prompting the demon to scream with pain as he alternatively slashed out wildly and clawed at his melting chest.

Having already positioned himself out of initial range, Ranma drew his rifle and targeted the approaching demon's head, smirking to himself as he fired. The demon voiced a drawn-out wail of disbelief, its machete dropping from limp fingers to clang onto the ground whilst it swayed unsteadily before lurching over to collapse by a nearby wall. For a moment, Ranma thought he'd killed the demon, but walking closer he spotted that he was still breathing. For now. Ranma could help but feel a twinge of respect, especially when he saw that his Acid Bomb had burned away a circular patch of ribs, exposing a glowing heart. The demon groaned softly and stirred, prompting Ranma to target his rifle at his foe's exposed heart. Green eyes blinked blearily up at him before the demon gave him a crooked grin.

"I… lost…? Heh… ya caught me off guard… wasn't expectin' a human ta be so tough…"

"Told you I can't be beat. And don't forget we have a bet."

"Ya… actually want a pact with me? Heh… ya don't seem th' type…"

"You wouldn't be trying to whelch on it, would you?" Ranma responded, using that twisted, sickly-sweet tone he'd heard Nabiki use in situations like this, sliding the bolt on his rifle back as he did so. The demon voiced a sound somewhere between a strangled choke and a laugh before replying.

"I never said that… just that ya don't seem th' type to pact. Still, if that's what ya want, then I'll Blood with ya."

"Blood?"

"Blood Contract… ya ain't never pacted afore, have ya?"

"So what if I haven't? You lie to me, and I'll kill you right here and now!"

"Ease up there squirt… I can't lie, not about this. When ya makes a pact, ya makes it with all ya heart 'n' soul. Once it's made, we're bound together… forever."

"Forever?"

"Well, as long as yer alive… which isn't really all that long, by demon standards… practically a blink of the eye come t' think of it…"

"Okay, okay, whatever. So how do we do this?"

"Ya got a blade?"

Curious, Ranma slung the rifle back into its cradle, and pulled out the Dagger of Time. Groaning softly, the demon hauled himself to his feet and held out his right hand.

"We cut our palms, claps hands, an' swear pact with each other. That's th' whole deal."

"That's it?"

"That's it- an' I ain't lying ta ya, like I said I can't lie about making a pact- specially not a Blood."

Somewhat disbelieving that he was actually doing this, Ranma drew the tips of the dagger across his left hand, then cut the demon's right. Their bleeding hands shook, and the demon looked him in the eyes.

"Pact true?"

"Pact true." Ranma responded absently- it couldn't be this simple, could it? At once a surge of energy seemed to shoot up Ranma's arm, like a great wind howling through his mind. As he watched, the demon's flesh and bones reknitted themselves, followed by his clothes. The demon rolled his head, cracking his neck audibly, then grinned.

"We're Blooded now. So whatcha want… master?"

"I don't suppose you can tell me how to get out of this place?"

"Better'n that; I'll give you a lift ta th' Medusa Mining Complex. C'mon."

Medusa Mining Complex? Ranma wondered if that was that installation he'd seen faintly beyond the forest. Stowing the dagger away again, he walked over to the demon's fallen bike, pausing only to retrieve the Slayer's Staff. By the time he got there, the demon was seated on the bike, it's fuel tank perfectly healed. He grinned at Ranma and revved the bike before patting the seat behind him.

"Hop on. Oh, an' afore I forget, take these."

He passed over a medallion emblazoned with the shape of a rearing horse, as well as map. Ranma took them and stowed them away, thinking to himself how familiar that medallion looked. Somewhat nervously, he seated himself behind the demon, just barely settling into place before the infernal cycle screamed off down the streets. Unbeknownst to the two of them, the dark child was watching them from the shadows. He turned to an equally shadowy figure, supported by a multitude of spider-like legs, and nodded to it before fading away into the darkness.

_Okay, chapter 3 is finally up. Looking over it, I think you can see why it took so long to put it together. Hopefully the next chapter won't take so long to bring out._

_Bloat:_

_Foul undead creatures infused with the arcane essences of disease and poison, their sole attack is a suicide rush towards their target. When they detonate, they cover their enemies in a sickly cloud of deadly toxins and bacteria. Death follows mere minutes after inhalation or skin contact, due to the sheer virulence of this creature's deadly internal payload. Thankfully, incendiary ammunition and spells as well as bladed weapons are freely available and are the best defence against these walking suicide bombs._

_**Don't bother holding your breath when these things pop; burn 'em with incendiary ammo, splatter 'em with spells or use a blade to cut them open. Either way, be quick or be dead.**_

_Slayer Staff:_

_One of several potent artefacts created by an order of mystically-aware martial artists, the Slayer Staff is a tool designed to enhance the wielder's Ki and amplify it, creating an invisible aura that can intimidate enemies and even inspire terror in lower ranked minions. Only beings of strong will, or non-existent minds, are impervious to the effects of this aura. As a further aid in combat, the staff can deploy razor-sharp blades from both ends that are capable of easily slicing through conventional body armour. Because its sole purpose is to be wielded by martial artists, there is a powerful seal placed on this weapon that renders it heavy and unwieldy to regular infantry, making this a specialist weapon indeed. Martial artists who wield it find their natural speed and agility enhanced by at least a factor of two, with proper focus._

_**If you're a martial artist, this weapon is for you. And if you ain't… tough luck.**_

_Long Slide:_

_A custom part for the Samurai Edge, designed to increase firing stability and accuracy at medium range while increasing damage potential at closer ranges due to a specialized small-scale magnetic accelerator. Range for the Samurai Edge is increased by a further nine meters thanks to the accelerator systems._

_**Increased range and increased damage, always a plus in my books when it comes to killing things.**_

_Red Dot Sight: _

_A 4x fixed zoom sight with an illuminated red dot to provide an aiming reticule. Allows for quick, accurate aiming in close-range situation and can provide additional aiming accuracy at medium-long range._

_**Makes shooting heads easier when close to targets, and can do some sniping at longer ranges but a pistol is still a pistol; only idiots think a scope makes a sniper weapon.**_

_Blood Contract_

_Blood Contracts are the most binding form of pact magic in the Void Between; an established link of blood and soul is used to bind a being to another, effectively rendering that being a servant, trusted confidant, protector and weapon in one. The Blood Contract is a powerful magic and should not be taken lightly, for a cunning opponent can make his strongest enemy his slave. The most notable sign of a Blood Contract is a tattoo that appears when communicating with a contracted being, invisible to normal sight._

**_A binding contract forged in blood, mages and other pacters use this to forge a soul-link between themselves and as many demons as possible. Be careful; one wrong move in negotiation and you'll end up the slave._**

_Dark Rider_

_These demons have existed for as long as unrecorded history, and in the tomes of those who study the ways of demons these beings, made of pure shadow for flesh and with rainbow coloured ichor for blood, are one of the first usually described. Wanderers by nature, Dark Riders drift the Void in search of combat, loot, mating partners and other goals known only to the individual Rider. Occasionally, some will agree to serve another, usually a mage or skilled fighter of some manner, and once the deal is done will serve with dedicated loyalty. Rough speaking and utterly tactless, Dark Riders are renowned for their skills with a riding mount, from horses made of soulfire and crystal to large custom-built living motorcycles of flesh, metal and pure magic. All Riders have a bond to their living mounts and treat even the motorcycle-formed ones as respectfully as a human rider with their horses; feeding, repairing and cleaning them with loving care. All Dark Riders possess a medallion stamped with a rearing stallion, a symbol of their chosen lifestyle as cavalrymen of the shadows._

**_Damn good fighters and loyal companions if you can get their respect, just don't bad mouth their ride or mount and you'll get along fine with them._**


	5. Chapter 5

**Shadows & Blood**

_Disclaimer: Neither Gideon020 nor I own Ranma ½ or any related characters in any way, shape or form. The Realm of Dark Skies, and all attendant characters/concepts, is our mutual creation and thus legally ours. Note: set late 6th season of the anime, like all my works._

**Author's Notes:** well, this story seems to be attracting something of a following. I'm glad folks are interested in what Gideon020 and I have put together. Thank you all for your input and for your reviews.

Chapter 4: False Death

The hellcycle rocketed along through the darkness of the forest, screaming across an overgrown road of paving tiles at speeds Ranma never would have been able to reach on foot. Other than dodging (or killing) the odd cadaver, the journey had been uneventful. From his perch behind the silent biker, Ranma stirred restlessly. He guessed he really should find out a bit more about his new ally, especially with this whole "Blood Contract" thing.

"So, uh, what's your name?" he asked, then promptly bit his tongue at how pathetic that had sounded. The Dark Rider was silent for a few seconds, then spoke.

"Y' can't pronounce th' original version –at least, not yet- but in yer tongue it basically translates as 'Rider in th' Shadows of a Thousand Wars'."

Ranma was about to ask what sort of name that was, then decided it was probably a lot shorter in whatever language his companion spoke. Besides, it wasn't like his name was much better when translated. All thoughts on names disappeared when the bike rounded a corner and entered the ruins of what had clearly been a military outpost. The bike slowed from its previous break-neck speed to a more cautious pace, weaving effortlessly past rubble, corpses and destroyed vehicles. The Dark Rider narrowed his eyes and shook his head gently. Ranma would have asked what was wrong, but was distracted when the Hunter suddenly surged from around a corner, hurling a wrecked jeep aside in its eagerness.

"How the hell does he keep finding me?" Ranma asked. It was supposed to be a rhetorical question, but the Dark Rider chuckled.

"He's always been persistent that way."

"Wait, you two know each other?"

"Long story, an' I don't have time to tell it. Jus' get off and run fer it- I'll distract him."

"Wha-but!"

"Do it boss. I can outrun him, you can't. I'll lead him as far from here as possible. Now!"

Ranma swallowed his doubts and sprang off the hellcycle, rolling into the shadow of a nearby mound of rubble as the Dark Rider suddenly shot towards the Hunter, weaving around him at the last second and slashing a vicious gash across its left bicep with his machete. Hating the feeling of helplessness, Ranma watched as the two duelled (for lack of a better word) before the Dark Rider vanished into the darkness of the forest, the Hunter hot on his heels. He spent several seconds cautiously waiting, then emerged from his hiding place and took a longer look at his surroundings, finally deciding to explore the interior of a relatively intact-looking bunker. He paused before entering the door, drawing the Slayer Staff and ensuring that his pistol was at his hip and ready to be drawn if needed. But there was one other thing he had to do first.

Back in the city, before he'd found the Acid Bomb or Rune Wall spell-seeds, he'd found two amplifier crystals in the warehouse. Though he'd used one on Shockwave, he'd decided to keep the other spare in case he found any new magic to use it on. Having acquired two new spell-seeds, he was glad he had. After some deliberation, he decided to use it on Rune Wall; the battle with the Dark Rider had proven it had potential, but it needed some upgrading before it could really be useful.

Once it was upgraded, Ranma cautiously headed inside. As he'd expected, the place was a battle zone, though not quite as bad as the city had been; evidently, the defenders here had been driven out of their defences rather than standing and fighting to the last. Still, Ranma kept his guard up; you never knew what might be hiding in the shadows. This caution served Ranma well when he made it to the infirmary and the contents of a bodybag tore their way free behind him, resulting in Ranma pinning the cadaver to the table like a grisly butterfly with his staff, pressing it down and waiting out the several minutes of squeals and writhing before it finally spasmed and died.

Ascertaining it was dead, Ranma pulled his weapon free and resumed his search of the area, turning up a vial of regen serum and two vials of what the alchemist's note had referred to as "reflex booster". Pocketing them, Ranma headed out of the infirmary and continued exploring the bunker. His search was proving pointless so far, when a burst of static from nearby startled him. Recovering from his shock, he quickly headed into the nearby radio room. Inside, he found the corpse of a human woman in military gear, face hidden beneath a gas mask and deep, claw-like gashes into her throat, chest and belly making it clear how she had died.

With a lack of squeamishness that faintly surprised Ranma, he gently pushed the corpse from its seat and off the blood-spattered radio, still squealing and sputtering static. He sat down and tapped at the controls experimentally, not really having the faintest clue what he was doing, when the machine voiced an ear-splitting shriek followed by a message of unknown origin, somewhat clouded by static, but still understandable.

"This is Delta One to all Delta elements, we have confirmed UAV visuals of Wild Horse at Checkpoint Kilo. Delta Five, you are clear to continue observation mission of Wild Horse, confirm possibility of Talent possession for the Girl. Delta Six, Delta Nine and Delta Eight, begin operation to draw away Sabre and Axe to Charlie Point and Road Alpha respectively. Delta Three, continue search for Delta Four, last known position confirmed to be Command Point Foxtrot. Delta One over and out."

With that, the radio promptly died, and nothing Ranma could do would make it work again. Scratching his head in puzzlement, he wondered who had been talking and what they had been talking about. Could they possibly be remnants of this place's former occupants? He shook his head in dismissal- more likely they were some as-yet unseen element of the forces who'd conquered this place. He was about to get up and leave when he noticed something vaguely like steel briefcase pushed into a shadowy corner near the radio. Reaching over the corpse, he picked it up; noticing an emblem of an eagle had been drawn on it in black marker.

The case opened easily, though whether that was because or in spite of the fact that the turn-dial had been smashed was debatable. Inside, Ranma found the disassembled grip and trigger for some manner of pistol, as well as two pieces of paper; a hastily scrawled note and what looked like a clipping torn from a gun catalogue, or something of that nature. Ranma picked up the clipping first, which depicted a robust-looking pistol.

'The Model XVI Sharpshooting Heavy Pistol, designated 'Steel Hawk' by the Manufactorium, is a heavy combat pistol with long-range capabilities, ideal as the secondary weapon for snipers or a primary weapon for commando operatives. Utilizing the heavy firepower of .223 magnum rounds, and combined with a variable zoom electronic scope, the Steel Hawk is also imbued with potent penetration enchantments, enabling it to punch effortlessly through armour and light cover, such as doors, plantlife and certain metals.'

Now this sounded promising- a lot more dangerous than the Samurai Edge, that's for sure. But why were only two pieces of it here? Ranma's curiosity prompted him to drop the clipping and pick up the note.

'We can't hold out much longer- being overrun. Command's supposedly casting some sort of summon spell, but that won't help us out. Just in case, we've disassembled a spare Steel Hawk and placed it, some combat holsters and some ammo in four security briefcases, which are being scattered around the compound. We'd've just left it intact, but we can't risk those bastards finding it and breaking it. The code to unlock is 5569.'

"Great. More scavenging. Am I supposed to be a saviour or a packrat?"

Despite his complaints, Ranma knew he couldn't pass this up and so resolved himself to finding it. Finally, after about two hours of digging through rubble, poking through lockers and even crawling beneath an upended communications dish, Ranma had found the last briefcase. He'd assembled the Steel Hawk after the third briefcase to be honest, but there hadn't been any ammunition in it. Entering in the now-familiar numbers, he grinned at the sight of four clips of ammunition, slotting one into the pistol and the other three into his pack. Almost as interesting were the shoulder holsters and belt holster sitting in the case.

Plucking the Samurai Edge from his waistband, and shrugging off the backpack and jacket, Ranma slipped on the holsters and then pulled his other items back on over them. He'd probably readjust everything later, but for right now he settled for slipping both pistols into his shoulder holsters (the belt only had room for one) and grabbing the staff. And it was fortunate for him he did; from behind him came a feral, inhuman sound, and Ranma whirled around to face it just as the creature leapt, bringing up his staff to block the scything jaws of his attacker.

It snarled and rasped around the wood rammed between its yellowed fangs, wrestling with Ranma for possession of it until the martial artist managed to bring his legs up beneath it and kick it off him, twisting the staff as he did so in order to wrench it (and a few teeth) loose from its jaws. Leaping to his feet, he brandished the now-bladed staff at the beast as it voiced a horrifically (to Ranma anyway) feline yowl of fury.

In form, at first glance it resembled some repulsive blend of human and feline characteristics, as though someone had taken a human being and brutally mutilated them into a grotesque semblance of some manner of big cat. It snarled from a semi-muzzle; crooked fang-laden jaws that were too large for its head jutting below mismatched eyes and a skull that was all cancerous bulges and semi-melted smoothness. Its hands were human, but bearing fingers too short and stubby to be prehensile and from which vicious claws of bone jutted. Its left leg looked human, while the right was that of a cat, while random patches of short, bristly fur speckled its body.

All of this Ranma took in with a single mental snapshot, and then he was charging at it, staff lashing out in a deadly pattern. It dodged or parried the initial three strikes, but in doing so left itself exposed for Ranma's real attack; an Acid Bomb straight to the chest. Its scream of pain practically burst Ranma's eardrums, but the creature itself dropped instantly, not even twitching as the entire body began to liquefy and pool across the ground. Ranma's victory was short-lived; a chorus of inhuman sounds echoed from the forest and Ranma looked up from his kill to see a motley horde of creatures swarming out of the forest, evidently attracted by their kinsbeast's dying scream. Ranma dropped any thought of staying and fighting from his mind and stealthily headed the other way as quickly as possible.

Finding an open gate and a dirt track leading away from the compound, he took off down the route, throwing the occasional glance over his shoulder in case any of the creatures were following him. Fortunately, he seemed to have escaped their notice and so continued along the track unmolested. Some distance from the compound he discovered an overturned truck in a ditch, as well as a cluster of corpses. Having gotten in the habit of doing so, Ranma decided to investigate.

Inside the truck, he found an amplifier crystal, which he finally decided to apply to Dart (Acid Bomb evidently already being strong enough to stand on its own for a while). One of the corpses produced a single stripper clip of rifle ammunition, and another provided what was clearly map of the local area, though the actual locations were unmarked. Strangely, the two women's corpses had features that Ranma could only describe as "demonic"; one had a mass of fleshy, dreadlock-like tentacles in place of hair, while the agonized grimace on the other revealed several rows of razor-sharp fangs. Puzzled mildly, but not really interested, Ranma threw a last glance back at the compound before continuing down the road.

It was maybe two hours later; given this place's apparent state of perpetual twilight, coupled with the thick cloud cover, Ranma had no way of telling time accurately. Guided by the map, he'd headed ever deeper into the forest, where the foliage was so thick he couldn't see the sky anyway. He'd apparently shaken off the "main pursuit" of those beast-things, but every so often he ran into what was evidently a scouting party or a watchman or something like that, though his Acid Bomb spell proved to be as lethally effective as it had on that first one.

And these beastmen weren't the only things stalking the forest either. Ranma ducked for cover as the clearing he was approaching proved to be occupied- by the Hunter. Fortunately for him, the demon seemed to have forgotten Ranma in favour of, well, easier prey. Three beastmen were fighting with the creature, screaming and howling as they did, while the bodies of maybe half a dozen more lay scattered on the ground. Ranma watched as the Hunter cleaved one in half with a single stroke of its axe, seized another by the neck, crushing its throat and casting it aside in one easy movement, and impaled the last one through the gut.

Ranma watched as the demon contemptuously hoisted its last kill into the air before sliding the dying beastman off onto the ground and stamping on its skull, crushing it to gory pulp. It howled triumphantly, then turned and strode away, Ranma waiting until he was sure it had disappeared (and how could something that big move so silently?) before he emerged from hiding and took a better look at the carnage, whistling softly in begrudging appreciation of its murderous talents.

"Man, looks like this guy don't care who he kill. I'd hope I didn't run into him again, but I'm not that lucky. Wonder what happened to Biker? Hope he's okay…"

With no option but to trust that the Dark Rider had managed to evade the Hunter and was simply lost somewhere in the forest, Ranma headed onwards. Surprisingly, he stopped encountering beastmen after that, though whether they'd been drawn to fight the Hunter, were hiding from him or had all been killed (he wished), he had no way of knowing. His path had brought him into a grove and he cautiously leaned against a tree in order to catch a rest, idly rubbing his calves.

_"Kh-kh-kh… ha-ha-ha… kh-kh-kh…"_

What was that?

_"Kh-kh-kh… ha-ha-ha… kh-kh-kh…"_

Ranma's grip tightened on the Steel Hawk, him having stored the Slayer Staff for ease of movement through these environs. The sound was coming from the other end of the grove, and he cautiously moved towards it, weapon ready and the energy for an Acid Bomb pulsing within his fingers. As the noise sounded again, he swallowed down a lump in his throat and yanked aside a covering of shrubbery- and promptly relaxed in disbelief.

There before him was the remains of some sort of shrine, centred on an effigy wrought in a humanoid shape. In its right hand it clutched an ancient machete, too badly rusted and dull to be any use, and an ancient, cracked, battered and filthy hockey mask covered the head. As Ranma looked at it, a faint gust of wind billowed through it, producing the sepulchral, strangled laugh he'd heard before. He was about to leave it, when he stopped; he thought he saw something glinting in the eyehole. Feeling strangely cautious, he reached forward and plucked the mask away, revealing that the head beneath had been sculpted into a hollow, in which was set an Amplifier Crystal. Ranma grabbed it and stashed it away, deciding to save it on general principle. Some inexplicable urge prompted him to replace the mask before he moved on, feeling weirdly rejuvenated. As he left, he had the strangest feeling he was being watched…

_"Kh-kh-kh… ha-ha-ha… kh-kh-kh…"_

Ranma had begun to wonder if maybe he'd gotten turned around somehow, or otherwise gotten lost, when he finally stumbled out of the forest and into the clearing the map had indicated he was heading towards. However, it turned out he was far from the first to make it here; corpses in military garb were scattered all over the place. As he instinctively began to scavenge for anything that might be useful, primarily ammunition, he noticed that the corpses here had clearly come from two factions.

Some of the corpses were dressed in forest camouflage patterns and bore a patch on their right breast that depicted a skull wearing a crimson beret; this was the same uniform he'd seen on those corpses he'd found back at the military outpost. The other corpses bore a far more sinister (and less practical) uniform of blood-red and ebon-black. As he examined them, he noticed two things; firstly, just like those women from the wrecked jeep, the corpses here all bore demonic features. Secondly, the features of the black-and-red garbed corpses were more… "pronounced", for lack of a better word. More monstrous, and obviously demonic.

A sudden squeal of static disrupted Ranma from his musings, and he quickly traced the sound to a miraculously still-intact portable radio. Snatching it up, he twisted the receiver knob and was rewarded when it sputtered out a message on what he thought was the same frequency as the previous one.

"All Delta elements sound off, I repeat sound off. This Delta 1, calling all Delta elements to sound off; we have lost visual on Wild Horse and Sabre, and cannot confirm last known location of Alpha 12. We have confirmed hostile resistance coming from Medusa and are tracking path of Blade and Hammer to coincide at Kilo point, possible ambush being set up for Wild Horse. All Delta elements respond and sound off, all Delta elements are to regroup at Rally Point Echo and locate Wild Horse."

Ranma fiddled with the radio some more, but it was silent, and he decided against carrying it on his own; pretty much all he had going for him here was stealth, and the last thing he wanted was for his enemies to be aware of his every movement. Discarding it, he resumed scavenging, eventually turning up no less than eight clips of Samurai Edge ammo, as well as three Steel Hawk clips and a Cursed Enfield stripper clip. This done, he resumed travelling, heading towards what his map indicated as some sort of outpost.

Of course, he hadn't gotten too far when his normal streak of luck decided it was time to make itself felt; a sudden violent clap of thunder shook the trees, and through the comparatively sparse foliage he could see that the weather was turning nasty. With no intention of being caught out in a thunderstorm, Ranma took to his heels and ran, instinctively seeking shelter. Apparently deciding to be merciful, his luck allowed him to stumble across a ramshackle old cabin just as the rain came screaming down. The door wasn't locked, slamming inwards as Ranma slammed his shoulder against it, torrents of rain gushing down behind him.

Breathing heavily, Ranma took in the scene of decay and dilapidation before him, noting with distaste a hole smashed in the roof, through which rain flooded in. Staying well away from that, he moved over and gingerly sat down on the dirty bed, rusty springs creaking their protest at his sudden weight on the mouldy mattress. Resigning himself to be going nowhere until the rain stopped, he pulled around his pack at dug out a couple of M.R.Es; he was feeling hungry. He was just carefully gathering some handfuls of rainwater to quench his thirst when…

"Hey there, word of advice."

Ranma almost choked, whirling around to face the source of the voice, blinking in confusion when he found it. He'd apparently failed to notice before that there was a mirror near the bed, a large and misshapen sheet of glass perched against the wall. His reflection, only dressed in his normal Chinese outfit, was standing in the mirror, arms folded across his chest and a blank look on his face. Ranma unconsciously walked closer to it, still disbelieving he'd actually heard what he'd heard, when the reflection spoke again.

"Yeah, I'm talking to you buddy. Listen to me, you gotta get out of this place, you weren't meant for this sort of thing."

"What sort of thing?" Ranma responded, allowing instinct to guide his tongue as usual. His reflection sighed and made a violently emphatic gesture.

"This! All this darkness and horror and killing." He shuddered at this last part. "You were never meant for this sort of world. Trust me, you have to go- just drop this crazy quest and walk away and forget it ever happened!"

"I'm going out of my mind…" Ranma murmured to himself, provoking a violent shaking of his head from his reflection.

"No, you're not- not yet anyway. But you have to get out of here, before this place gets to you too. Look at yourself! You were a martial artist, a person of honor- but this place is changing you, twisting you! Its darkness is seeping into your soul, corrupting you, perverting you into something that you were never meant to be! For your own sake, you have to leave here- forget this insanity and go back to your own world before it's too late!"

Ranma's eyes narrowed; this was more suspicious than Nabiki acting friendly, and he wasn't about to fall for any tricks that this… impostor… might have up its sleeve. Hmm… maybe he could trick it into revealing just what it was, or what it was trying to do.

"So yer saying I should just up and leave? Abandon my quest and run away with my tail between my legs? …Just who do ya think you are, telling me to do something like that? I never run from a fight."

"I'm you, fool! I'm the real you, the part of you that's being overrun by the darkness you're being stupid enough to actually allow into your soul! Listen to me, for both our sakes, turn back!"

Ranma didn't answer, instead simply turning back to the bed and eating the remnants of his meal with slow deliberation. As he watched from the corner of his eye, the mirror-image's jaw dropped before its face twisted in an inhuman expression of fury.

"Listen to me you filthy little shit! If you don't leave here right now, you are going to die! I don't care how many of these filthy powers or disgusting weapons you taint yourself with, in the end you're only a measly little human! These things are actual honest-to-god demons! They'll tear your soul apart and pick their teeth with your bones! Are you listening to me you fucking goddamned bastard!"

"Now, ya see, I knew there was something fishy here. So who the fuck are you- check that, what the fuck are you, and why do you want me out of here?"

"…DAMN YOUR EYES!"

The reflection-creature lashed out in a furious punch, and the mirror promptly exploded in a rain of shards. Ranma simply stood up, trying not to let just how freaked out he was make itself apparent. He failed miserably when a tiny reflection-creature pulled itself from each shard, an army of mini-Ranmas glaring at him hatefully and cracking their knuckles in perfect unison. Ranma pulled out the Slayer Staff, ready for what was sure to be one tough (well, freaking weird anyway) battle, only to be interrupted by a growl from behind him. He instinctively vaulted aside as a beastman dived at him from behind, sprawling across the floor. It whirled to hiss at him, but was promptly swarmed by the mini-Ranmas. Deciding discretion was the better part of valour, and as the rain had stopped, Ranma simply left them to it and fled the cabin.

He had finally reached his destination- though it had turned out to be some sort of arboreal village and not, like he had expected, a military complex. Ranma twitched, unsure whether to laugh, sigh or scream, before a might roar sounded from behind him, fiercer and deeper than anything he'd heard before. Coupled with the sounds of something massive approaching swiftly from behind, and Ranma was up the nearest ladder and into the home at its top like a shot. Peering out cautiously around the edge of the door, he observed as the biggest beastman he'd seen yet –fourteen feet tall at least and as hulking as Taro's cursed form- came striding through the village. He swore under his breath as, in apparent response to the vaguely lupine monstrosity's presence, dozens of beastmen began to emerge and cluster around it. He'd stumbled right into their home!

"Oh great- how the hell do I get into these messes? Hey, what's this?" He'd noticed something propped up against the wall beside a cluster of spears and curiously picked it up. "A Louisville Slugger baseball bat? How the heck did this get here?" A familiar tingle jolted him and he automatically grabbed for the notebook. "No way, this can't possibly be a weapon…"

_Excalibat: _

_An enchanted baseball bat devised for assault squads and covert expeditions to the Prime; one of the more common magical items that can be found these days due to the ease with which it can be created. The enchantments render it a powerful melee weapon, whilst the user is also capable of extracting an insignificant sliver of their life energy and channelling it through the bat to create a powerful magical missile. Surprisingly powerful, this weapon is greatly favoured by units deployed to the Prime, due to the ease with which it can be concealed in public._

**_It may not look like much, but this little baby hits like a semi-trailer, and the projectile can really do some damage. Batter up!_**

Ranma hefted it experimentally, but decided to avoid testing out its ranged capacity- he didn't want to alert the beastmen as to his presence. A cautious look through the door confirmed that there were none of the monstrosities present, and Ranma skulked forth with the intention of leaving this place. And then he heard the sound of seed-song… he paused for a second, tugged by conflicting desires, then reluctantly turned and stealthily headed deeper into the village, following his ears to the spell-seed.

It had been close several times, but Ranma had finally found what he was after; absorbing the jewel with the gyrating lightning bolt in its centre, he wondered at the accompanying sensation of urgent desire. He didn't have long to think on it, as his efforts to claim the spell-seed evidently hadn't been as stealthy as he'd thought- three beastmen came barging into the chamber. The first promptly caught a blast of lightning in the chest, going from menace to deep-fried in a heartbeat. The second, some manner of ram-woman, charged at Ranma, who instinctively whipped his newly acquired Excalibat around in an underarm strike and caught her straight in the throat. As she collapsed to her knees, choking, Ranma struck her with all the force he could muster in the back of her skull, shattering it and leaving her to collapse on the floor.

Of course, while he had been dispatching her, the third had used his distraction to try and get the jump on Ranma. He jumped backwards as it slashed at his face, turning what could have been a deadly strike into a mere collection of painful gouges in his face, and instinctively lashed out with the Flame Tongue. It shrieked in pain as its matted pelt ignited, clawing frantically at its burning flesh as it stumbled about the room- and set the place on fire. A frantic take of the windows revealed that there was a vine or a rope dangling outside of one, and Ranma leapt through the (closed) window to grab it and slide down to the ground as the house behind him went up in flames.

"Huuuh… so much for stealth. I better get outta here before-"

Ranma's danger senses suddenly screamed a warning, and he dove aside as an all-too familiar spear thrust through the space he had just been occupying.

"Not again! How the fuck do you keep turning up like this? Were you a bad Yen in a former life or what?"

In retrospect, yelling at an apparently unstoppable abomination hell-bent on strewing your guts across the ground isn't the sanest of acts. The Hunter apparently realised this, actually halting its offensive to direct an undeniably quizzical stare at Ranma before the both of them snapped back to reality and resumed their respective roles. The creature pressed its assault so vigorously that Ranma couldn't retaliate even if he believed it would help, instead settling for simply trying to dodge the attacks and flee. He finally settled on a dangerous gambit and, twisting around a spear-thrust, charged the Hunter. Its apparent disbelief that Ranma would pull such a stunt enabled him to use its chest as a springboard, backflipping away so that he was at the other end of the clearing.

When his danger sense screamed again, Ranma presumed it was referring to the Hunter, that the demon was about to pull some as-yet unknown trick out of its sleeve. He was quickly enlightened when a massive blunt object smashed into his ribcage, sending him flying into a nearby tree with sufficient force that ribs splintered like kindling. He collapsed onto the ground, the trauma too much for this comparatively frail body to take, vision blurred from the shock and pain. Through the blurring, he made out the form of the giant beastman, which strode towards him and kicked him viciously, smashing him into the tree again with the apparent intent of ensuring that he was in no shape to resist.

If that was the intent, it worked. Ranma was positive that his spine had cracked from that second blow, and he was completely helpless as the giant snarled something at the Hunter before grabbing him and half-dragging half-carrying him away. Ranma must have blacked out temporarily, because the next thing he knew, he was being held by the neck over the lip of a cliff, a river churning below, a crowd of beastmen clustering about to watch. He tried to struggle, to do something, but couldn't even manage to spit in the giant's face. The giant voiced a ghastly howl of triumph, the pain it produced in Ranma's head actually drowning out that of his abused body, then hurled Ranma into the abyss.

From a shore further downstream, the ghostly child watched emotionlessly as the weakly flailing Ranma drifted past, only to collide with a jutting boulder with a sickening crack. Before its eyes, Ranma spun past the rock and silently sank into the inky black water…

_Well, that's chapter 4 done. I think this is the first cliffhanger I've ever actually tried my hand at… I think it comes off a bit too melodramatic, but ah well. Read and review please!_

_Steel Hawk_

_A heavy- duty sharpshooting pistol designed for airborne troops and commandos, the Steel Hawk is exceptionally powerful thanks to the .223 eight round magazine. A fixed 12x zoom scope allows for accurate shooting at medium to long ranges._

**_Smaller magazine but a damn sight more powerful and accurate than yer basic peashooter- especially vital as missing in this place can be a death sentence._**

_Bolt _

_The Bolt is an advanced, high yield spell designed to provide maximum kill to cast ratios in combat, making it one of the most deadly spell-seeds available to regular troops. Mages often use Bolt as a sweeping spell; hitting multiple targets in a short space of time due to the supreme lethality of the attack at all ranges._

**_Get turned into a walking Tesla Coil with this little baby. You want it dead or badly stunned, this is the spell._**

_Feralkin_

_Bizarre bestial mutates who colonise the forested regions of the land. Feralkins adopt a tribal-pack structure with the strongest receiving leadership roles and other perks while the weak become slaves and food. This society makes them unreliable allies, as they may side with an opposing force that they believe to be stronger than the one they already fight alongside. Intelligent and cunning, Feralkin can easily learn how to operate even modern weapons of war, but many prefer their claws and sharp teeth to do the job._

_**Tough, fast, and smart. Keep on your toes and keep your head in the game if you don't want to lose it.**_

_Giant Feralkin_

_This massive creature appears to be the leader of the Feralkin, further data unknown at this time._

_**Bastard hits hard, and he's fast.**_


	6. Chapter 6

**Shadows & Blood**

_Disclaimer: Neither Gideon020 nor I own Ranma ½ or any related characters in any way, shape or form. The Realm of Dark Skies, and all attendant characters/concepts, is our mutual creation and thus legally ours. Note: set late 6th season of the anime, like all my works._

**Author's Notes:** well, here's chapter 5 at last. We're roughly halfway through with this now- there's just the Mountain, Oil Rig, Base and Space Station regions left to cover. Read and review, and we'll get this done as quickly as possible.

Chapter 5: Unwanted Rebirth

"Damn it! We're losing him! Clean up that blood, find out where it's coming from and let's see why this bone isn't resetting!"

"Doctor! The bleeding's stopped and the bone is resetting! He's healing right in front of us!"

"Thank the Kami, maybe we'll be able to keep this a secret from his friends and family after all."

"Isn't that illegal? Shouldn't they know?"

"Only if you can explain how this poor kid looks like he suddenly went through a meat grinder. How the hell are we going to fix his spine?"

"**The shoulder's been reset and a regen patch has been applied. Ribs are a mess, but we can fix them. Just have to make sure the little son of a bitch doesn't bleed out on us first. Sorvey, get the plasma units and a dose of Prometheus, stat!"**

"**Got it Doc."**

"**Doc, she want's to know his status."**

"**His status will be corpse if I don't get some peace to patch the little maggot up! Tell the Lady that she'll get the chance to inspect him after I'm done- now piss off!"**

"**Doc, here's the spinal clamps you wanted."**

"**About fucking time. Alright you shits; on my count."**

"Holy crap! Did you just see that!"

"His spine…but how…i-impossible!"

"It just rearranged itself and healed. Just what the hell is this kid?"

"_**He has been fully repaired? There are no imperfections?"**_

"**He has been fully patched up my Lady. What are your orders?"**

"_**Take him to Command Point Charlie. He will test him."**_

"**As my Lady commands. All right monkeys; take him to Charlie and dump him near the river. We were never here."**

Ranma woke with a groan- but considering the state he'd been in the last time he was awake, he was amazed he woke up at all. He shook his head softly and blinked blearily at the overcast sky, the sound of running water coming from nearby. He found himself to be sitting on the bank of the river, his gear lying nearby, female but otherwise intact. Pushing herself to her feet, she walked over and retrieved her gear, slipping it on before pushing onward into the forest.

Back in Nerima, the doctors had managed to return the miraculously healed Ranma to his- err, her room. They still weren't sure why he had suddenly changed into a girl, but given that they had other concerns at the time, they weren't really to be blamed for choosing to ignore it. As they left, Ranma's fiancées showed up to visit again, greatly surprised to find Ranma female- though not as surprised as they were when pouring hot water over Ranma caused him to become male, only to then revert back to his female form.

"Aiyah! What going on here?"

"Beats me sugar- this hasn't happened before, has it Akane?"

The Tendo girl shook her head quickly, much to the dismay of the other two fiancées. Shampoo sighed softly and gently stroked Ranma-chan's brow.

"Maybe is like what happen before? When he change spon-sponta- on own self? Maybe he change back on own too?"

"I hope you're right Shampoo… I hope you're right…"

Ranma gagged, choked and finally spat, wiping her mouth with an arm as she recovered from her sudden attack of nausea. Wondering what had brought that on, she pulled out the map –miraculously still intact- and began to study it, seeing if there was any chance she could figure out where she was. Almost miraculously, she managed to pinpoint where she was, as well as the location of another structure and the route to reach it. She would have had second thoughts about heading after it, given the recent events, but she managed to make out a small scrawl near the structure that said 'bunker'. So, without anywhere else to go (and with staying here a likely death-trap), Ranma set off. As she walked down the bank, she began to wonder; those voices she thought she'd heard during her delirious, painful sleep… could there possibly still be some resistance against the invaders? And could they have been tied to the mysterious "Delta" she'd overheard on the radios?

Eventually, Ranma reached the outskirts of the glade in which the structure was situated- and it was indeed a bunker. As she considered approaching it, she stopped and dove for cover as no less than three helicopters roared overhead, spotlights flashing into brilliance as they began scanning the ground. One of the beastmen loped out into the glade, though Ranma couldn't see where it'd come from, and was promptly cut to ribbons by a barrage of gunfire from the circling craft. The largest copter then moved to right in front of the bunker, sides opening and five shadowy figures rappelling down from it. The ropes were retracted and the copters flew away as the figures opened the door and vanished inside the bunker, Ranma staying hidden all throughout.

Rather than going in through the front, Ranma decided to creep along the sides and see if he could find a different way in. And it worked; some manner of explosion or tremendous force had shattered a decently sized crack in the wall, through which Ranma squeezed. Finding herself in what had evidently been the armoury, she began scavenging for whatever she could find, eventually turning up three clips each of normal, Blacktail and Nail ammunition for the Samurai Edge, five clips of Steel Hawk ammo, four stripper clips for the Cursed Enfield, and finally a box of shotgun shells, which she pocketed on general principle.

Securing her bounty, she slipped out of the door and went exploring, cautious in case she ran into those strangers. She stopped when she heard the sounds of conversation coming from around a nearby corner, subtly moving closer to listen in and to catch a better glimpse of who she was listening to. There were the five soldiers who'd dropped from that helicopter, all of them clad in the red & black uniform off the invaders. She was more interested in what they were saying though then what they were wearing.

"This sucks, I hate having to guard this dump. Its not like anyone is going to try breach the sealed door."

"I know what you mean, but General Saboath's orders are clear and they come from the Dark One itself, we have to make sure that the sealed door is not breached. Just be glad that we don't have to worry about survivors trying to launch an assault."

"Glad? I want some fucking action and it ain't even been three minutes yet! Geez this is boring! You got a light!"

"Here."

"Thanks, come on, we better get this over with."

"Right, let's go people. We got to patrol this place and we only have an hour to do it in. Split up, but stay in radio contact."

Sealed door? Now what might be behind that? Obviously something Ranma wanted to check out- but first there was the problem of these guards. Ranma quickly slunk away and slipped into what she guessed to be some sort of office, going behind a desk for further cover. When one of the guards came in to investigate, Ranma managed to creep around him and jump him from behind, clapping a hand over his mouth and slitting his throat with her dagger. She froze, but when none of the others came after her she knew she'd made a stealthy kill. Stuffing the corpse in the darkest corner, she crept out of the chamber; best to eliminate them all now before going after whatever lay behind the sealed door. The trick would be disposing of them before they alerted each other- or called for reinforcements.

Number two went down as easily as the first one; Ranma shot him in the back of the head with the Samurai Edge when he entered a toilet to answer a call of nature and simply shut the stall door. Number three proved more difficult; Ranma accidentally alerted him to her presence, though the solider failed to alert anyone before Ranma flung her dagger and nailed him in the heart. Number four was dispatched by Ranma relying on speed and shock to reach him and impale him with the Slayer Staff. Finally, all that was left was number 5. Ranma simply fried him to a crisp with the Bolt power.

Enemies dispatched, Ranma went in search of, first of all, a kitchen, to resume his true-form. This done, he went in search of the mysterious sealed door, finally finding a large and imposing door chained and welded shut, somewhere in roughly the heart of the bunker. Looking it over for several seconds, he flung an Acid Bomb at it, metal hissing and running like water, but not dissolving all the way through. It took almost a dozen of the corrosive orbs before Ranma finally ate a hole big enough to step through, which he promptly did.

There was a blinding flash, and a sensation of being embraced by a howling wind, and when Ranma opened his eyes again, he found himself standing in the middle of an ancient church, presumably of the Catholic faith, though it was hard to be certain- there was no crucifix hanging near the altar. There was something on the altar though, which Ranma curiously picked up. It was a box of bullets, .454 Casulls to be accurate, and Ranma promptly pocketed them- he was sure to run across a gun that fired them sooner or later. This done, and with nothing else of interest in the church, he exited it through the main doors- and promptly stopped and stared in disbelief.

During his stint in America, he'd once watched an old Western movie. His father hadn't approved, but Ranma had kinda liked it, and the details had stuck somewhat in his head. Well, those details were certainly sticking out now- it looked like Ranma had just walked into the main street of a generic Old West town! Old-style Western buildings, somewhat dilapidated, lined the streets, there was what looked like a stable near one end of town, the two pseudo-gates at either end of the main street, saloon, even the odd blowing tumbleweed.

"Hey there greenhorn- what brings ya ta the middle a' nowhere?"

Ranma whirled around at the sound of someone speaking, instinctively whipping out the Steel Hawk. His target, who had been standing unnoticed on the porch of the saloon, didn't look impressed.

"Put that peashooter away afore ya hurt yerself, greenhorn."

The stranger was tall and inhumanly lanky, seemingly little more than bleached-bone-white skin stretched taught over bones. Clad in stereotypical "cowboy" clothes, made from strange leathers coloured black (Ranma was positive that the hat was made from human skin), he sauntered casually over towards Ranma, giving the human a better look at his face. It was decayed and skull-like- no cheeks, thin lips, a nose that was barely there at all. If it weren't for the more 'demonic' features –horns that curved from his temples, six clawed fingers on each hand and solid-purple eyes- Ranma would have thought he was facing a dead man. Spurs (pentagram shaped, Ranma noticed) jingling, he stopped maybe five feet away, hands casually moving to caress the grips of a pair of almost-ridiculously oversized pistols. Ranma eyed him carefully, but slowly lowered the Steel Hawk.

"Are you the reason that door was sealed?"

"Maybe… what's it ta ya?"

"Look pal, I don't need this. I got roped into doing this whole 'freedom fighter' thing, and I can deal with that. Just let me know if I'm supposed to be saving you or killing you so I can get on with it already!"

"Heh, yer a gutsy kid… and ya claim yer working fer us?"

"If 'us' means 'the ones who used to own this dump', then yeah. Now are we gonna get outta here, or are we gonna tangle?"

"…Yer a pretty mouthy one, ain'tcha? Well then, if'n that's the way ya want it… I am part of the old posse- but why should I work with a little snotnosed punk like ya?"

"If that's the way you want to play… then let's tangle! I win, you pact with me!"

"Ha! Ya got guts! Let's see the colour of 'em!"

Ranma suddenly got the feeling that this might have been a bad idea, as the demonic gunslinger whipped out his pistols and began firing. Thus started a running gunfight, the two combatants dodging and strafing each other, using their surroundings (and Ranma's Rune Wall power) to shield themselves whilst blasting at their exposed counterparts (Ranma absently noticed that no matter how much he fired his Steel Hawk, he didn't need to reload it once). Ranma diversified his bullets with Acid Bombs, Darts and Bolts, but none of them seemed to have even the slightest effect on his opponent. Ducking behind the cover of a Rune Wall, Ranma frantically looked around for some way to get the advantage. And then he spotted something; a barrel with the letters "TNT" painted on it in bright red.

He darted for it as the Rune Wall shattered behind him, a hail of gunfire whistling past him as he ran. He grunted as a bullet slammed into his shoulder, but stoically ignored it, totally fixated on acquiring the barrel of explosives. Lunging for it, he hurled it at the demon before blasting it with a Flame Tongue, catching his opponent square in the resultant explosion. Then, despite all his instincts, he simply waited. When the dust cleared, his opponent was standing there, clothes torn, ichor dribbling from rents in his flesh and swaying unsteadily, but not dead. He instantly trained his guns on Ranma, who simply stared calmly back at him, his own weapons sheathed.

The demon's focus wavered, guns drooping slowly, until he finally holstered them and began to laugh, softly at first, then rising into an uproar, as though he'd just heard the funniest joke ever. Ranma soon felt himself joining in, and the two of them laughed like old drinking buddies there in the dusty street. When Ranma finally regained his composure, he and the demon were standing right next to each other, and the demon gave him a friendly slap on the back.

"Ha! Alright, alright, yer a tough hombre. I'll follow ya. Pact true?"

"Pact true!"

There was that feeling from when Ranma had pacted with the Dark Rider, and the Gunslinger was restored to his original state. He cracked his neck deliberately, then reached around to his back with one hand, pulling out a third pistol from some hidden pocket and handing it, grip-first, to Ranma.

"Here- take this with ya. Better'n them peashooters yer toting now. I've got stuff ta handle here afore I go. You head back to the church; there's some stuff fer ya there. Once ya've got 'em, touch the altar and yer back where ya came from. See ya."

Ranma smiled, pocketed the pistol, and headed back to the church. As he did so, the Gunslinger walked towards the saloon, stopping near a particularly dark alleyway. Without looking anywhere but straight ahead, he spoke in a conversational tone of voice.

"Yup, he's the One alright. Should do JUST fine. Whassat? Yeah, I think he'll do alright afterwards- boy's not dumb, just needs ta learn ta use his noggin fer something besides hitting folks with. Shouldn't be that hard ta teach neither. Don't fret yerself none; if'n all goes well, it won't matter. Now, you best skedaddle- you got stuff ta do yerself."

Ranma was unaware of this strange, one-sided conversation, and probably wouldn't have cared anyway, being too busy grabbing the loot from the church's altar; a box of .454 bullets, an Amplifier Crystal (which he used on the Rune Wall), and a weird jet-black .454 bullet. He looked it over curiously, then flipped out the notebook to find out what his new gun was and what this bullet was.

_Showstopper_

_The Showstopper is a large .454-caliber revolver with intricate demonic etchings across the metal and grips. A powerful weapon, the Showstopper is capable of putting down most creatures in a single shot and can focus its energies into a powerful energy blast capable of stopping tanks._

_**Now this is a gun, but the recoil is like a cannon and ammo is not easy to find. Save this for cracking the tough nuts.**_

Curtain Call

_A rare shell for the Showstopper, capable of killing anything with a single shot. Save this for the truly powerful opponents._

_**Under no circumstances is this to be used for the common beasties. Use it only and ONLY for the beasts you can't kill with other weapons and tactics.**_

Ranma blinked at the bullet, then tucked it away reverentially (along with the rest of the stuff) before touching the altar. Once more there was a blinding flash and the sensation of being carried on the wind before Ranma found himself standing back in the bunker- correction, outside the bunker, which had now been levelled. Initially confused, he simply shrugged it off as unimportant- the move drawing his attention back to his wounded shoulder. Healing it with a regen serum, he would have turned and headed into the forest, had he not spotted a ritual circle in the debris. Carefully making his way through the flames, he entered the circle and absorbed its powers. As he did so, the flames suddenly died down, for the most part, though a great cloud of fire belched from the earth before him, forming into a vaguely feminine shape.

"Greetings, Brother, I see that Gen Fu's assessment of you was correct… you are indeed a unique individual. My name is Yukina, Mistress of Fire within the Slayer Order."

"Nice ta meet ya... I suppose you're here to show me a few tricks with my spells?"

"Indeed. By using my power in conjunction with the Dart Spell-seed, you will be able to launch blasts of flame that seek out the enemy."

"Heh, cool, that should prove useful in a fight. Thanks."

"My pleasure. Now then, travel to the north, for your next goal lies there. Farewell."

The fire-form disappeared and Ranma did as he had been told, heading to the north.

Ranma had no way of knowing how long he'd been here, but when the sky began to grow darker, he figured that it was nightfall (as much as it could be said to exist in this place of darkness). He paused and rested his back against a tree to stretch his back and calf muscles, only to be startled by the sound of someone cursing in Japanese, somewhere nearby. He stealthily followed the sound, and couldn't believe his eyes when he saw what looked like a ghostly Ryoga, wandering aimlessly across the paths. Ranma instinctively invoked Revelation, musing that he hadn't used that for a while, and Ryoga became more distinct. And, a second later, walked unseeingly into what looked like some sort of portal, the two of them vanishing without a trace and leaving behind one very confused Ranma.

"O-kay… that was weird. Best to keep moving though."

And so Ranma continued- right until the point he stepped in something slimy and fell flat on his face. Swearing to himself, he pushed himself upright and summoned a Flame Tongue to better illuminate his surroundings- and instinctively froze at what he found. Ranma was practically lying atop a massacre, no less than 14 mangled defenders lying strewn about a glade litter with toppled and shattered trees. And roughly right beside him was what initially looked like the corpse of a girl about Ranma's age, clad in a skimpy skin-tight uniform of red and black.

Ranma (just barely) managed to squelch his quasi-instinctive reaction to panic, instead slowly and deliberately climbing back to his feet and looking over the woman. Correction, the creature; the wounds made it obvious that the thing beside him wasn't human in anything but appearance, revealing as they did black flesh and sickly green slime for blood. There was probably other signs as well, but Ranma decided he'd rather not give it a closer look, instead continuing heading north.

As Ranma travelled, he became aware of a strange chorus of drumbeats and animalistic noises, growing steadily louder as he travelled onwards. Finally, he found the reason; the ghost had directed him to some manner of gladiatorial arena, around which the Feralkin had clustered. The lupine giant from before was currently crushing a last challenger, weirdly horse-like, with his warhammer. As Ranma watched, the beast howled at the sky, brandishing a roughly cut crystal- the same crystal from that mural back in the city! This fact, coupled with Ranma's natural desire for revenge on the beast that almost killed him, prompted an instinctive reaction from Ranma: he drew out the Slayer's Staff and promptly took a running leap into the arena, burying a blade in the beast's back and slowly dragging it down along the length of its spine.

The giant beastman naturally took affront to this, and promptly tried to pulp Ranma with his warhammer. The two clashed, strength and fury against speed and skill, the beasts in the arena simply cheering wildly and enjoying the show. Ranma slashed and spun the staff, but his opponent merely shrugged off the wounds as though they were scratches- which they probably were.

"All right then ya bastard! Try this on for size!"

A gesture of his hand and a cascade of fireballs erupted from his palm, screaming through the air to smash into his opponent's chest, blazing away for several seconds before extinguishing. Though Ranma's opponent screamed in pain, its wounds seemed to be limited to mere blisters- certainly not fatal or debilitating. Ranma leapt over a horizontal swing of its hammer and snarled in aggravation himself.

"If that's the way you want it!"

A crackling blast of lightning jetted from Ranma's palm to smite his victim- who pulled out the crystal shard and simply thrust it into the spell's path, whereupon it was harmlessly absorbed. The giant grinned smugly- and promptly caught an Acid Bomb square in the face. As it screamed in pain and clawed madly at its bubbling face, Ranma hurled several more, catching it randomly in the chest. When it wheeled around in pain, Ranma splattered several of the corrosive orbs just above its pelvis, burning away flesh and weakening its spine so that it couldn't support the creature's weight. The bone snapped and sent the creature tumbling to the ground, no longer able to walk but forced to drag itself along the ground.

By now the creature was blind, both from the acid and from its own carelessly raking claws. Ranma slipped the staff back into its position, and drew out Excalibat, springing forward to land on his opponent's back. He struck with all his strength, bringing it crashing down upon the back of his victim's skull, again and again, until finally the giant was still, head reduced to nothing but bone fragments and a puddle of gore. Ranma let Excalibat fall loosely by his side, breathing heavily, then looked up. The crowd, which had fallen deathly silent when Ranma had crippled his opponent, erupted into an outrage and began pouring down towards Ranma, who struggled to his feet defiantly.

The first of the beastmen had just begun pouring into the arena when the sounds of gunfire rang out, their heads exploding before Ranma's eyes. Out of nowhere, the Gunslinger emerged, a blistering barrage of bullets tearing into those monsters before him and halting the advance in its tracks. From behind them came the Dark Rider, shrieking with glee as he hewed his path through them, combining his efforts with those of the Gunslinger to panic the beasts and send them scattering into the darkness. Reasonably sure of himself, he gunned the hellcycle and screeched down into the arena, zooming forward to grab Ranma by the waist (Ranma just managing to grab the crystal beforehand) and sling him onto the seat behind him before they sped off into the night.

"You took your sweet time." Ranma said, loud enough to make himself audible. The Dark Rider chuckled.

"Have a heart boss; y' ain't the easiest human ta find y' know, even with a Pact Mark. Still, I sprung y' from that jam back there, din't I?"

"Yeah, I guess you did. Hey, will he be alright back there?"

"Don't worry about him boss- he can take care of himself."

Ranma didn't react, instead simply leaning in against his ally- he felt so tired, even without counting in exhaustion. The next thing he knew, he was jolted awake by the hellcycle screeching to a halt, near a well-hidden cabin.

"Get y'self inside and rest- y're no good to anyone worn out. Here, take this; it's a map of th' Medusa Mining Complex- it'll tell y' how ta get in with no problems. Me 'n' the 'slinger will keep the patrols off y' back."

Ranma didn't say anything, feeling his tiredness more than ever now; he simply nodded gratefully to the Dark Rider and stumbled inside the cabin. He was asleep within seconds of hitting the bed, while the Dark Rider closed the door and sped away.

_And that's another chapter done. Don't worry though; we've got plenty of new projects planned and ready to be started once we've got this story finished. Feels kinda odd to be writing a story with a planned end… but it seems to be working._

_Gunslinger_

_A demon cowboy whose skill with revolvers is unmatchable and creator of the legendary Curtain Call rounds, the Gunslinger is a legend amongst its kin and to have his servitude is a mark of honour. The Gunslinger is a fierce fighter and his guns have felled more than one prospective master in its long life._

_**The only one of his kind and as old as they come, the Gunslinger is a demon you treat with respect.**_

_Feralkin Champion_

_The largest and most powerful of the Feralkin are known as Champions and have access to all of the perks of such ranking as the most powerful in Feralkin society. Usually such beings wield massive weapons in battle._

**Big, powerful and deadly. Make sure you hit them with the most powerful stuff you have.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Shadows & Blood**

_Disclaimer: Neither Gideon020 nor I own Ranma ½ or any related characters in any way, shape or form. The Realm of Dark Skies, and all attendant characters/concepts, is our mutual creation and thus legally ours. Note: set late 6th season of the anime, like all my works._

**Author's Notes:** Yeah, I know, this chapter took a while to come out; fortunately, the remaining ones should be quicker. As was announced in Making a Mark of Chaos, we are taking votes on which of our other projects we should focus on bringing to you readers when this story is over. The details are listed here, so send a PM or leave a review with your choice.

LukeSahel; what precisely do you mean by this story has a tendency to become list-like? And Ranma did change back into a boy, though you must have missed it; it was a sentence before he actually fought the Gunslinger, so don't feel too bad for having missed it.

Chaos Overlord: Ranma Saotome is 'recruited' by a primordial force of Evil to destroy a corrupting force of madness and despair, but the only way for Ranma to save this world... is to conquer it.

Tales from a Dark Earth: A mercenary Ranma from a post-apocalyptic reality appears in a canon Ranma reality with his own brand of madness. Nerima will never be the same again as aliens, vampires and a whole lot of ammunition go flying.

Seven Gates Tournament: Ranma gets invited to an elite fighting contest, where he'll encounter powerful new friends, deadly new enemies and a mysterious secret about the Anything Goes School.

Chapter 6: The Pit

It was morning at last –as far as Ranma could figure in this place of perpetual twilight and darkness- and Ranma was on his way to the next stop in his 'quest'; the Medusa Mining Complex. The map he was following didn't actually lead him to the mining complex per se, but rather to an abandoned boomtown that served as a sort of 'back door'. From here, Ranma would have access to the disused mines, which would enable him to enter the "royal" mausoleums before finally exiting at his destination. Ranma had just come to a bluff overlooking the deserted town- well, not quite deserted. From his vantage point, he could faintly make out lights, their movement making it obvious they belonged to some sort of guards on patrol. Watching a helicopter 'buzz' the town before vanishing into the gloom, Ranma nodded and abandoned the map, its purpose served, before heading down into the town proper.

Ranma walked through the town as quickly and quietly as possible; the last thing he wanted was to alert the guards here, whatever they were. A sudden burst of light caught in the corner of his eye and Ranma quickly ducked into an alley to avoid being spotted. A cautious look outward revealed the face of his enemy; a human corpse, arms and legs replaced with crude-looking mechanical prosthetics, wires and cables emerging from open wounds and the top of its skull sheared away to be replaced with a cybernetic "cap". In the front of this steel skull was embedded the source of the light, which the creature aimed by turning its head this way and that.

The creature evidently hadn't seen Ranma, for neither its steady pace nor its gentle movements altered in anyway as it turned a corner and disappeared. Ranma waited for several seconds, to be sure the creature wouldn't double back, and then quietly jogged down the street it had come from. That eagerness was almost a deadly error, as there turned out to be another guard waiting near the end and Ranma didn't spot it until he was almost on top of it. Evidently hearing Ranma's approach, it whirled around, though not fast enough to catch Ranma before he leapt to shelter behind a nearby mound of crates.

Ranma crouched there for several minutes, the light from the creature's lantern beaming faintly through the gaps between the crates. Finally, the light wavered, as though the creature was shaking its head, and disappeared. A cautious look revealed that the creature had turned back in the opposite direction but was otherwise remaining stationary. As the alley had another offshoot running to Ranma's left, he decided to take it instead. This time he went slowly and cautiously, which enabled him to avoid being drenched when he exited the alleyway underneath a leaking water tank. Stepping around the mud puddle, he entered a main street- whereupon one of the guard-creatures suddenly burst from the door of a nearby house. It voiced a wordless, guttural howl, claw-arm snapping dementedly, gun-arm pointed directly at Ranma, who instantly reacted by plunging a hand into the mud and hurling a glob of muck at his opponent's face. The blinded creature voiced a mechanical howl and pawed clumsily at its face with the pincer-like appendage that served as its right arm. The gun-arm, however, jerked upwards and fired spasmodically, shooting several flares into the dark sky above.

Almost at once, the sound of helicopters approaching became audible, and Ranma raced away down another street as they began to illuminate the area. He dove into an open house seconds before a spotlight lit up the area where he had been standing, racing upstairs to further escape the probing light. He screeched to a halt as he reached the top of the stairs; there were two of the creatures standing here, motionless in the gloom. Their lights were off, and it seemed as though they had been deactivated- perhaps by the presence of the searching helicopters? Ranma neither knew nor cared as he slipped past them as carefully as possible; the last thing he wanted was for either of them to wake up. While the gun-arm seemed to be just an elaborate flare gun, those claws looked like they would really hurt if they took hold of him. He had just reached the other end of the corridor when the helicopters departed- and, as if in response to some unknown signal, the two guards began to stir.

"Shit."

As their lights flickered back into life, Ranma grabbed something from a nearby table –a vase or a decorative plate or something- and threw it so that it passed between their lights and shattered down at the steps. The guard-creatures responded as Ranma had hoped, clumping down the stairs in pursuit of the sound while Ranma took a turn and entered what had evidently been a bedroom. Luck was with him; the bedroom had a balcony, and from there he was able to leap onto the roof and begin roof-hopping towards the mine entrance. Unfortunately for him, someone had evidently planned for an eventuality like this; there were three guard-creatures stationed on roofs near the mine entrance. Their lights were primarily focused on scanning the ground, which was why they hadn't spotted him yet, but Ranma was positive that if he got too close they would detect him. He stood there, pondering for several minutes how to distract them, and then prised loose a tile from the roof he was standing on.

Getting as close as he dared, he flung the tile through a window nearby, drawing the attention of the watchers. Whilst they were distracted, Ranma dropped to the ground and raced through the now-darkened intersection, leaping through a broken window into a hotel positioned near the mine entrance as they resumed their posts. Catching his breath, Ranma stood up to find himself in a ruined kitchen- and he could hear someone speaking beyond the door, though he couldn't make out what they were saying. Cautiously opening the door, he caught sight of yet another guard-creature patrolling the corridors- however, there was also some piping installed in the roof. Waiting for it to move out of sight, Ranma quickly and quietly left the kitchen and pulled himself up to cling to the underside of the pipes before shimmying along.

This enabled him to bypass the creature, it being too mindless to look up, but eventually he ran out of pipes. He dropped to the floor, and found himself standing outside the entrance to what he guessed had once been a ballroom, but which had now been converted into a makeshift sleeping quarters. Bunks lined the chamber, and a sleeping soldier occupied every single one. Hearing the guard coming from behind him, Ranma swallowed nervously and began quietly creeping through the chamber, gently wending his way past the crowd of beds in order to avoid waking their occupants. Finally, he reached a nearby window, beyond which he could see the mine entrance. But how to get there was the problem; beneath the window was a steep drop, too high for him to safely take.

However, there was an electric cable nearby, and it looked like it at least got close enough to the entrance that Ranma could slide down it. But how to do so without rubbing his hands raw, or electrocuting himself? And then he saw that a nearby soldier was loosely holding a scarf in one hand, and that hand was lying over the edge of his bunk. Ranma got close as he dared and gently slid the scarf from the soldier's grasp, his touch light enough that the man didn't wake. Tugging it experimentally, Ranma walked to the window and leapt outwards, looping the scarf over the cable and sliding rapidly downwards. When he judged himself to be close enough to the entrance, Ranma let go, rolling with the impact until he collided with a nearby mound of sandbags. Shaking his head, Ranma stood up and, with a quick look backwards, disappeared into the darkness beyond the mine's entrance.

The mines were dark, so dark that even Ranma's newfound ability to see in dim light was being tested. Couple that with the way the mines passed this way and that, twisting and winding into the bowels of the mountain, and it was perfectly reasonable to assume that Ranma was lost. Not to mention correct. Somewhere along the way he had managed to find a storeroom, where he picked up about half a dozen regen serums and roughly the same number of UAT vials, along with a single Reflex Booster, three clips of Steel Hawk ammo and a box of eighteen bullets for the Showstopper. Ranma's wending path had just brought him to yet-another intersection, where he stopped; he could see that the roof was networked with demolition charges.

This wouldn't be a problem, but for the fact that all of the routes leading onward were laced with laser tripwires interwoven into complex patterns. As Ranma puzzled over both which route to take and how to avoid the tripwires, he made out the sound of someone aiming at him from behind, diving to the side as a flaming orange projectile howled past and exploded, sending fireballs flying in all directions to pound the floor, the walls… and the ceiling, setting off a chain reaction. Ranma's eyes bulged and he scrambled to his feet and tore towards the nearest tunnel as the roof came crashing down, only to be tackled from behind, undeniably by the gunman from before.

Ranma grappled wildly with his attacker, who was finding out that even in his weakened state Ranma was not an easy target. His opponent finally loosened his grip and reared back, perhaps trying to get better leverage, and Ranma promptly kicked him as hard as he could in the crotch, throwing him off him. Leaping back to his feet, Ranma had the Dagger of Time in his hand before he even knew it, bringing it up to deflect a slash from a combat knife that would otherwise have opened his throat from ear to ear. Their blades flashed through the air and clashed against each other, Ranma's opponent –which he could now make out as being one of the black & red garbed soldiers he'd first seen in the forest- being an even match for the weakened Saotome.

Until Ranma managed to pull out the Steel Hawk. His aim was terrible, but excusable given the circumstances, and effective all the same, the bullet slamming his opponent in the shoulder and forcing him back. Unfortunately, his opponent was now clearly wearing full-body combat armour, and Ranma doubted that even the Steel Hawk could kill the creature before it finished drawing its shotgun from its combat webbing. With this light-speed revelation, Ranma was diving behind a boulder as his opponent cleared its weapon and fired, just in time that several pellets slammed into Ranma's hip- a painful wound, but in no way fatal. He pulled himself behind the rock as his opponent blasted at him as fast as his weapon would allow him, occasionally popping out to fire back a few shots of his own.

To little effect. He was well and truly pinned down, and with his injured hip he couldn't even move as fast as he normally could. Flinching away from the sporadic bursts of fire, he shifted so that he could pull a vial of regen serum from his pack- then stopped as he realised he'd also pulled out a vial of Reflex Booster as well. Well, this looked like as good a time as any to test it out. He plunged the regen serum into his body, absently noting that this time the pain was simply wince inducing, and then repeated the process with the reflex booster. There was a sound like a brief gust of wind rushing past his ears and the world became tinged with silver. From behind him he heard the sound of a shotgun firing, though greatly slowed down, and he hurled himself from out behind the boulder, able to actually see the cloud of buckshot before it slapped into the rock he had been sheltering behind.

Ranma could see his opponent trying to reload and bring his weapon to bear, but he was no match for Ranma's speed. Too caught up in the adrenaline rush to consider bringing his own weapon to bear, Ranma hurtled towards his opponent, sweeping the shotgun aside and delivering a powerful elbow to his opponent's throat. His opponent tried to resist, but Ranma easily outmatched him in this state and rained down blow after blow, bones breaking beneath his brutal onslaught. Finally, he grabbed his opponent and hurled him through the air into a cluster of barrels, barely visible in the gloom. His impact scattered them like ninepins and Ranma caught the pungent stench of flammable chemicals. That jolted his memory and he brought the Steel Hawk to bear, firing a single bullet at one barrel near his opponent. He could actually see the bullet's passage from the barrel of his gun to roughly halfway to its destination… and then time returned to normal, the mass of barrels detonating in a great fireball. Ranma's opponent didn't even have the chance to scream.

By the blazing light, Ranma saw his opponent's shotgun lying on the ground. Funny, he didn't remember him dropping it… nevertheless, a new weapon was welcome and Ranma casually picked it up. As he cradled it in his arms, the world suddenly went black…

"Okay, what the hell was that and how the hell did I get here?" Ranma asked aloud. Nobody answered him, naturally, but that didn't stop him asking. 'Here' turned out to be an elevator, currently descending, thought that fact wasn't quite so disturbing to Ranma as the vague and elusive memories of just what he'd seen when he'd blacked out. As the elevator finally rattled to a halt, he stopped bothering. On the wall in front of him, by the flickering light of an all-but burned out bulb, he could make out an ancient map, the parchment still legible (if barely), and he stepped closer to examine it.

"Let's see… I am here… so which way do I have to go? Wait, what's this? Mausoleums? Didn't the Rider say I needed to get to the mausoleums?"

His course decided, Ranma studied the map until he was positive he had it memorised, then began looking around the chamber he was in. Now that he was paying attention, he realised it was some sort of supply depot, and thus began searching for anything he might find. In the end, he turned up quite a bounty; not only did he find a compact, still-functioning lamp (which he slipped into his pocket), he also turned up no less than four clips each of Nail bullets, Blacktail bullets, shotgun shells, Steel Hawk bullets, and Enfield bullets. He also found a single clip of alternate ammo for the Steel Hawk, two boxes that each contained a different type of variant shotgun shells (one labelled 'Fletchette' and the other 'Dragon's Breath') and two clips of Showstopper rounds. Pocketing his bounty, and sending a silent prayer of thanks to whoever or whatever might be looking out for him, he pulled out the lamp, turned it on, and headed deeper into the mines.

Ranma had lost track of how much time had passed since he'd found that map, but he was confident that he was almost to the mausoleums. If only he could get past this damn guard… Said guard was one of a new type of enemy he'd encountered roaming the mines, a spitting image of that dead girl-thing he'd stumbled across in the forest. Some time back, he'd tried dispatching one with the Enfield… it had taken two rounds to the head and been simply dazed, whereupon Ranma had fled and managed to escape its pursuit. Needless to say, he had decided that getting into a fight with one of these things was something to reserve for a last resort. He currently had a hand full of pebbles, with which he was trying to lure the creature away from her post.

"Come on… that's it… almost… gotcha!" he whispered as it finally headed away down another passage. He waited for all of two seconds to make sure she wasn't doubling back, then darted for the stairway she'd been guarding at top speed, sliding down the banister for extra momentum. Once he reached the bottom, he backed away from the base of the stairwell, ensuring he was out of cover, and then turned to look at the door leading to the mausoleum. Appropriately, if somewhat melodramatically, they were huge things wrought from solid iron, engraved with skeletal angels and barred by blade-like projections. Scattered around the room were several weights, and on the wall were three large sculptures of grasping hands. Ranma looked up and, sure enough, there was a fourth hand above the door, clutching a weight bearing the number "25".

Now, Ranma wasn't exactly a maths whiz, but this looked simple enough. He found another 25 weight, and dragged it over into the grip of the first hand. A sort of mechanical clunk was his sole reward, and changing it to a different hand didn't produce any different results. Ranma looked at the puzzle for a minute or so, and then snapped his fingers in realisation; he must need to fill all three hands and still equal the weight of the fourth. Putting the 25 weight aside, he dragged over a 6 weight, a 9 weight and a 10 weight (these being the only options he had) and slipped them into the hands. Sure enough, there came a deep clicking noise, followed by the sounds of gears grinding and clanking against each other. The obstructions slid back into the walls and the doors slowly opened with a dull grinding groan. Ranma smirked to himself and headed onwards.

'Wonder if I'll do better on my next test after solving all these puzzles?'

Ranma calmly walked down the ancient stone steps and entered the entrance of the Mausoleum complex proper; a massive hall with several doorways arrayed in front of him- one Egyptian, one Greco-Roman, one Japanese, and one that had a distinct Art Deco motif to it. They were all sealed shut though, so Ranma took a look at the rest of the chamber, marvelling at the surprisingly good condition of the complex, but also noting the various cables and pipes running along the floors and through the walls and ceiling. Shaking his head, Ranma glanced at the black iron hatches on the floor, and felt them, discovering them to be warm to the touch.

Looking up, he spotted a pedestal rising from the floor at the other end of the hallway, the top of which had been carved to resemble an open book. Curious, Ranma walked over and took a closer look, discovering that a single passage had been engraved into the rock.

'Sacrifice the heart of a demon to the gatekeeper and the way will be opened.'

"Now what the hell could that mean?" Ranma asked no one in particular, scratching his head as he did so. As though in response to his words, the pedestal suddenly began to sink into the earth with the sound of gears clicking, followed closely by the sound of metal grating on rock. Looking back at the grates revealed that they had indeed retracted into the rock, and even from here he could see the air above them shimmering from the heat. That, however, was of less concern to Ranma than the fact he could hear something approaching from behind, twisting around pulling the Slayer Staff free as he waited for it to appear.

He did not have long to wait. With a scream like an electronic banshee, one of the girl-creatures –the one he'd lured away up above?– came hurtling into the chamber, flipping through the air to slam onto the ground in a tripedal stance as the doors slammed shut behind it. It drew itself up straight, lifeless grey eyes staring at Ranma with an almost child-like curiosity before it suddenly shot forward in a powerful punch, the air almost visibly rippling from the force and speed of its thrust. Ranma, however, had been anticipating such a move, and coupled with the way this thing telegraphed her moves almost as much as Akane did that meant that even in his reduced state he was able to weave around her blow.

With a feral snarl he simultaneously deployed the staff's blades and swept his leg out, tripping his opponent and attempting to bury his staff in her side. Unfortunately, his opponent turned out to be a bit better at martial arts than he had thought, rolling away from his thrusting blade and launching a retaliatory kick that, even blocked, still struck with enough force to knock Ranma back. Both recovered their footing roughly at the same time, but it was Ranma who launched his attack first, his wild, purposeful flurry of blades forcing his opponent back on the defensive before he spotted an opening and drove the staff through her chest.

At least, that was the plan; the blade ricocheted off her torso as though he'd tried to stab a brick wall, and the creature seized advantage of his mistake to slap the staff out of his grasp and then seize him by the throat with both hands. Ranma managed to resist the instinctive urge to grab at her hands, knowing it would be useless, and instead scrabbled desperately for a weapon of some sort, finally managing to grasp the shotgun he'd picked up before and thrust the stock into her throat. That blow apparently managed to penetrate her armour, as she released him and instinctively clutched for her throat- and promptly found herself looking up the barrel of the shotgun.

At this range, not only could Ranma not miss, no natural armour could help. Turning away from the decapitated corpse, he brought the shotgun back into a ready position at the sound of clanking, only for it to turn out to be a statue being slid out from a previously concealed alcove. Ranma walked over and took a look at it; the thing's mouth was sculpted as both open and hollow, and the inside was smeared with blood. Remembering the words on the stone book, Ranma shuddered and drew forth his dagger before stepping back towards the creature's corpse. When it was done, Ranma quickly thrust the jet-black, ice-cold organ into the sculpture's gaping maw, pulling his fingers free just before the jaws clashed together with grotesque fluidity. The stone face, impassive but for its jaws, chewed and finally swallowed loudly before freezing solid again.

The door of the Egyptian tomb suddenly slid open, torches alighting all down its passageway. His purpose evidently served here, Ranma followed the pathway down, finally reaching a small chamber with a spell-seed lying on the table. One slight problem; this spell-seed was empty, noting but a hollow crystal. Ranma picked it up in disbelief, examining it curiously, then headed through the nearby exit, keeping the crystal with him- though he had no idea why. After passing down a long corridor, Ranma found himself in what looked like a small shrine- with a miniature tornado occupying the centre of the room.

"Okay… but I guess I've seen weirder. How the hell do I get past it though?"

All of a sudden, he felt the crystal he had been clutching in his hands begin to pulsate. Lifting it up and taking a look first at it, then at the tornado, he shrugged and tossed the gem into the swirling vortex of wind. The crystal was instantly pulled into the eye of the storm, which promptly began to rotate and swirl even faster than before, increasing in speed until the winds were literally screaming before they were, in a move that Ranma would never be able to properly describe, sucked into the crystal, which remained floating and now began to emit the sound of seed-song. This time, Ranma's touch allowed him to absorb it, producing a sensation like a gust of wind rushing across his body. With the tornado gone, he could see the other side of the shrine-chamber; there was no door, but there was a lever, which he stepped forward and pulled.

With a deep groaning, grumbling sound, the entire chamber rotated on its axis until it came to a stop, the door now leading out onto a small walkway. Beyond that, as Ranma quickly found, was a great chasm, a door positioned on a ledge on the other side. He looked down into the chasm and could just make out the floor, as well as the collapsed ruins of what had evidently been a walkway. Looking up at the ceilings revealed a lot of very sharp-looking stalactites (or was it stalagmites? Ranma could never remember that…), as well as what looked disturbingly like a great mass of Bore Worms writhing on silken "roads" between the stalactites. He sighed softly.

"Great. Well, I guess I picked that spell-seed up for a reason- may as well test it out."

He focused on the newly acquired spell-seed –come to think of it, what had he picked up anyway? He hadn't thought to look in the black book for some reason- and was promptly rewarded with a sudden surge of pain in his chest. He instantly lost focus, but the pain remained, spreading outwards from his heart to envelop his entire body. Ranma doubled over with a gasp of pain and shock, hands curling into claws- quite literally; Ranma was physically changing, though too distracted by pain to realise it.

Clothing seemed to literally melt away as, with the sickening sound of bones grinding and cracking and flesh ripping, Ranma transformed into a nightmarish form that blended aspects of bird, insect, bat and human corpse. The pain had elongated the process in Ranma's point of view, but in truth it had but taken several seconds, and with the transformation ceased, the pain vanished. Breathing heavily, Ranma went to wipe his brow, freezing as he realised that he had been changed.

"What? No- what is this! What's happened to me?! No- wait, Ranma, keep your head. You used the spell-seed, right? This must be what it does- I must be able to change back!"

Focusing on the spell-seed again, Ranma did indeed revert to his original form. Calmer now, and curious, Ranma cast and recast the spell-seed several times, switching between the two forms (for some reason, the second time around, the transformation into the monster wasn't painful). Finally, assuming the monstrous form again, he looked out over the abyss with his twisted features curled into a smirk. Spreading his wings, he launched himself into the air, taking a moment to thrill to the sensation of flying, similar to but utterly different to that of his previous super-leaps, before heading towards the door.

This, however, turned out to be more difficult than he had anticipated. Powerful jets of wind almost threw him off balance, while he had to be wary of falling stalactites- or leaping Bore Worms. However, he finally reached the other end of the chasm, shifting back to his native form and dropping gently to the ground before the door, quickly pushing through in case the ledge he was standing on started to give way (it didn't, but better to be safe than sorry). Down the corridor was a ladder leading downwards, and with nowhere else to go Ranma swung himself down and started climbing down.

What felt like an hour later, Ranma was still climbing and growing more and more aggravated as he did so. It didn't help that he thought he'd been hearing a feminine voice singing some strange song ever since he'd lost sight of the ladder's top, the faint words grating on his nerves. Finally, however, he reached the bottom. This, however, turned out to be another shrine- though there was no door here. Instead, there was a sort of great rent in the roof, and looking up it Ranma could see it continued beyond his range of vision. The rock of the wall was too smooth for him to climb up to the crack though, and Ranma couldn't jump high enough to sink his fingers into the more graspable material above the crack. Ranma leaned back and sighed heavily, wiping the sweat from his brow. Wait- sweat? Since when did it get so hot in here? Ranma looked around and noticed something; the reason this room looked like a shrine was because it had an altar, and the altar appeared to be made from solid magma.

"How the hell did I miss that?" Ranma asked himself, walking over to take a closer look. Though the majority of the altar was the glowing, throbbing red, orange and white of molten rock, there was a jet-black depression on its surface shaped like a handprint. An exact print of Ranma's own right hand, to be accurate. Ranma looked at it suspiciously, then at his own hand.

"Here goes nothing…" he murmured, then placed his own hand upon it. He gasped as his blood seemed to ignite, intolerable heat consuming his body. He voiced a long, hollow, continuous groan, unable to remove his hand as the altar began to darken and his own flesh to burn. Finally, the altar had become solid stone, dark as sin, and Ranma tore his hand away at last- or at least, the scorched, taloned, armour-plated mockery of a hand he had left. He looked himself over, metallic plates of carapace clamping over raw-looking musculature, hands enlarged- or at least the fingers elongated, oddly jointed and tipped with wicked-looking claws.

"Hmm… I wonder…"

Calling on the powers of the spell-seed he'd acquired before allowed Ranma to transform back into his human form. When he tried to use it to become a monster though, he felt a sort of waver of indecision until he pictured the flying monster, whereupon he transformed. A third use of the spell-seed and he became the clawed fiend. Clenching his talons experimentally, he looked up at the crack and, with a mental quote of 'here goes nothing', reached upwards. To his shock, one arm explosively elongated, lashing upwards to bury claws into the rock like pickaxes. A thought contracted the limb, bringing Ranma soaring up to grab the rock with the other hand before he began scurrying up the wall.

As he'd anticipated, this new form was perfectly suited for climbing; its strength was incredible, claws biting effortlessly into rock and anchoring Ranma until he wanted to release, and its energy seemed limitless. Soon, Ranma was literally racing along the crack, uncaring that it had gone from merely rising to a spiralling tunnel through the bedrock. His lipless jaws stretched tightly into an elated smile, baring needle-like fangs as he tore along whatever surface caught his fancy, buoyed up by the adrenaline rush.

"Man, I wish I could swap my girl-form curse to have this instead." He commented casually as he practically exploded out of the crack, landing neatly on a ledge down below it. Reverting back to his human form, he looked over his surroundings; now, he looked to be overlooking some sort of graveyard, though it had been heavily flooded. He unthinkingly took a step forward to get a better look, and the ledge he was standing on promptly collapsed.

"Wak! That's cold!" she yelped as she surfaced, spitting water. Standing up, she found herself standing in water up to her knees, while behind her was another shrine- this once centred around an intricately engraved throne. She waded up to it, took a closer look at the images (sea monsters, storms and other watery themes) and then sat down; she knew what was going to happen. This time, the sensation of transforming wasn't painful- simply disturbing. It felt like she'd been drenched copiously from head to toe in icy mucus. She looked at her hands, webbed, green, scaly and clawed, then at the rest of her body- more blue-green scales and a thin, glistening coat of slime.

Her reflection in the water revealed an elongated, sharklike face, with jet-black eyes and gill slits in her neck. Weirdly, this form actually looked somewhat feminine, though that might have been a reflection of the fact she'd been a girl in the first place. She stood up as best she could, entering a position that was more a hunch-shouldered stoop, and strode forward, idly noting the shark-like tail that now slapped behind her. She waded easily through the water, passing submerged gravestones and sinking crypts as the water grew steadily higher, until it was finally deep enough that she could dive in.

It was here that her new form proved its worth; she slipped through the murky water as though born to do so, breathing naturally through her gills and easily able to perceive through the muck through a combination of sight and what she guessed to be a form of echolocation. This proved fortunate, as it enabled her to evade the surprise attacks of some form of predatory fish with prehensile, spiked tongues, which quickly fell beneath her own fangs and claws. There was also the matter of evading the decaying, blindly grabbing undead arms that protruded from the graves beneath her, or occasionally thrust from a crypt door.

Finally, Ranma's progress brought her to the far side of the mausoleum complex, where she found the cause behind the flooding; a great hole in the wall, leading into what she guessed to be a reservoir of some sort. She swam into it, then begin rising up, having seen light above, and finally broke the surface in dimly lit chamber- though not part of the mausoleum, judging by the décor. Swimming easily to the side, she pulled herself out of the water and, after waiting for a few minutes to let the excess water slide off her scales, resumed her true form before heading through the nearby door in search of hot water, a way out or better still both of the above.

After several minutes of searching, by which time she figured that her current position was some sort of hastily assembled research facility; she found a small kitchenette and promptly boiled some water to regain her true gender. That done, he resumed his exploration of the facility, passing by some empty labs- which looked as though they had been torn apart. The torn-open cages, the broken chains, and the plentiful supply of sharp-looking implements and bloodstains led to Ranma quickly deciding he didn't want to know what had happened or what had been going on in these labs. Following the corridors past the labs, Ranma suddenly found himself at a T-intersection, staring at a strange-looking axe buried in the wall. Beneath it lay a massive bloodstain, which looked as though whatever had been leaking had been dragged away. For some reason though, that axe was strangely fascinating…

With a grunt of effort, Ranma pulled it free and took a more detailed look at it. He had enough time to make out that it was a weapon designed to be used with two hands, then his attention was drawn away; a cacophony of moans and snarls and pained noises heralding the appearance of a legion of twisted, malformed shapes. These, evidently, had been what had been imprisoned in those cages, and they were clearly not happy to see Ranma.

_"Feed… me…"_

Ranma started- who had spoken? It sounded like they were standing right next to him.

_"Feed me!"_

…Did the axe just talk to him?

_"FEED ME!"_

Ranma unconsciously focused his ki on the axe, as he had learned to do. He had a vague impression of terrible, relentless hunger, and then everything went black…

When Ranma came to, the hall was a charnel house. Dismembered corpses were everywhere, though he himself bore not a scratch. Giving the axe he still bore an uneasy glance, he slipped it into his pack and pulled out his shotgun instead before heading towards a nearby knocked down door. The corridor beyond was dark, except for a light that Ranma quickly found out was connected to an automated sentry gun, forcing him back through the door to avoid being stitched from head to crotch with bullets. However, the light revealed that there were pipes running along the ceiling, much as they had been back in that hotel before he'd entered these mines, and he made a spring for them, pulling himself up before the sentry gun realised he was there and shimmying along.

Once he was pas the sentry gun, he dropped down and began walking normally, using his pocket-lamp to illuminate his surroundings. With the aid of maps positioned on the wall, he set off for Command Control. However, as he proceeded, he began to encounter more and more burst gas mains that had been ignited, one even mysteriously lighting up the moment he got near it… and he could have sworn he head the sound of ghostly feminine laughter. Thankfully, emergency shut off valves were usually close by, but more than once Ranma had to crawl through rather wide ventilation shafts to reach locked maintenance areas with the appropriate valve or to simply get around the leak.

To make matters even weirder, Ranma occasionally caught glimpses of a teenage girl dashing down corridors in front of him, or just out the corner of his eye, and no matter how quick he moved, he always found nothing but either dark corridors or dead ends. As he walked down the last corridor leading to Command Control, he could hear the sound of a music box before he turned the final corner and it went silent again.

"Okay… that was creepier than usual. Did I really just say that? I must be getting too used to this place…"

The Command Control was, as he had expected, filled with active computer banks and monitors. It was not as he had expected in that it showed no trace of any violence having been committed inside. He began to poke and prod at the various banks, though even he couldn't tell what he was looking for. It didn't really matter anyway; all of them were locked down due to being on emergency power. He was about to give up and leave when he noticed one last monitor was still operational. Sitting down, he booted it up and began flicking through the programs on-screen, finally coming across the power allocation program.

"Why would they divert all but auxiliary power to Holding Area 1? Ah well, who cares- this should fix that…"

With a faint humming noise the lights flickered on, bathing Ranma in the first bright light he'd seen since he woke up in this nightmare. He luxuriated in the illumination, then turned to examine some of the other computers. One had some sort of scientific report open on it, and he began reading it.

_To: General Saboath_

_From: Doctor Derek Krippler_

_Re: ERX-117 technical flaws_

_First of all, thank you for the extra security here so that I can continue fine-tuning our new weapon. However, the recent spate of testing has-_

The following two paragraphs were an unintelligible mess of highly technical information with hundreds of jargon terms and meaningless niceties, so Ranma skipped through them until he reached something he could understand.

_Now, as for the weapon systems and how these design flaws affect them; the Void Cannon is capable of producing the necessary output you specified but due to the sensitivity of the amplifier crystal used in the construction, a major impact of any kind could potentially cause a catastrophic explosion. This fragility is also apparent in the missile pods, due to a lack of sufficient reinforcement, meaning that before the design can be presented to the Master it will require a more combat suitable missile delivery system, as flame and acid damage could destroy vital failsafe circuitry. On a more serious matter, the armour for the actual power core is very unstable and constant damage by any sort of magic will eventually cause it to collapse and drop off the ERX-117, as well as potentially damage the necrotic serum keeping much of it operational. The power core itself, however, is the most glaring flaw in its utter lack of compatibility with magical or electrical shielding, though it is thankfully invulnerable to conventional firepower. In short, General, this weapon system needs a lot of work done to it if we are to gain the Master's approval to mass produce it._

_I shall make my way to the Military Base to speak with you further on this matter and a possible solution to our mutual problem. Meanwhile, the ERX-117 has been placed in Holding Area 1 pending further testing._

"Holding Are 1…? Oops…" Ranma scratched the back of his head sheepishly. Oh well, too late to do anything about it now. Spotting another console with the program "Emergency Lock Override" active, Ranma activated it, unlocking all the doors throughout the base. On the last console he checked was a map, revealing the locations of a Weapons Lab and that the only way out of this complex was by going through the holding areas. Well, maybe if he was lucky he'd be able to bypass area 1 and avoid whatever the hell he'd let out… but he doubted it.

Exiting Command Control, Ranma started towards the Weapons Lab- noting but steadfastly ignoring the way blood began to flow and drip from the wall and ceiling vents as he progressed. He kept his shotgun ready, but was unchallenged- except for a single strange event. A cluster of boxes suddenly went flying as he drew near, and the lights flickered in time to a feminine giggle- the same girl from before? Even if it wasn't, the situation was identical- right down to there being nobody there. Anticipating an ambush, Ranma finally entered the Weapons Lab. Inside was the sort of slaughterhouse he'd been anticipating, and he idly wondered if he should be concerned that the sight of such carnage no longer threw him. What did catch his attention was a transparent storage locker, with no less than eight Amplifier Crystals sitting inside it. Ranma walked over and spotted a notepad lying on a nearby bench.

_Thanks to the scouring of the mines and forest, we have secured at least eight Amplifier Crystals for further study into their ability to evolve spell-seeds into more powerful forms. So far all results are inconclusive. For access to the Crystals for research, use the passcode 6542._

_Doctor Easel_

Punching in the code, and idly marvelling at this bit of convenience, Ranma absorbed all the crystals, using them to amplify Dart, Shockwave, Acid Bomb and Fire Tongue once and Rune Wall and Bolt twice. That done, and finding nothing else of interest in the lab, he left it and headed for the nearest cargo elevator, unflinching despite the fact the roof was now a virtual river of blood and dripping all over him. As the cargo elevator rumbled to a halt and the doors open, Ranma found himself standing once more amidst deep gloom. With a faint sigh, he relit his lamp and headed onwards into the holding areas. As he walked, his danger senses began to tingle- and not just because doors occasionally slammed shut and locked themselves as he drew near.

"Ah, great. Someone obviously wants me to face that whatever-it-is in Area 1… well, may as well get this over with…" he grumbled, opening the access hatch in the blast door and passing through. Beyond lay a giant chamber- and necessarily so, for the mechanical abomination at its centre was thirty feet tall if it was an inch. It just stood there, strapped against some sort of vertical table and seemingly dormant, and Ranma really hoped it wouldn't wake up even as he warily approached it. The thing had missile pods on its shins and right shoulder, a large and dangerous looking energy blast on its left shoulder, a flamethrower on its right forearm and a gatling gun on its left forearm. All in all, it looked formidable. It was all he could do to keep from yelping as that mysterious laugh from before rang out again, snapping his last nerve.

"Alright, that's it! Who are you! Show yourself!"

Again the laugh rang out, and before Ranma's eyes the form of a transparent Chinese girl rose up from the floor. Clearly this was some sort of ghost… funny, but she kinda reminded him of Shampoo… Ranma snapped back to reality as she laughed again and then spoke.

"Well, well, well. It appears the Master was correct in assuming someone had been summoned, but I didn't expect anyone so young…or so handsome." She purred this last part, causing Ranma to unconsciously twitch. He was really reminded of Shampoo now for some reason… he shook himself back to reality to throw out a retort in answer.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, and just who the hell are you?" he snapped. The ghost-girl gave him a Cheshire Cat grin in return and answered him.

"I am one of the Sin Sisters, loyal immortal servants of He Who Is Beyond Darkness, the new ruler of this realm and soon to be ruler of your world. I am not as merciless as my master however; you have but to go on bended knee and pledge your loyalty eternal to me, and you shall be spared the death and eternal torture that awaits you at the end of your foolish journey."

"Uh huh, how about I say 'Fuck You' and then I put you down for good. How does that sound?" Ranma asked, grinning wickedly at the look on ghost-girl's face- shock and disbelief that quickly gave way to rage.

"What? You little vermin trash, I have just offered you salvation! You would be a fool to refuse me!"

"I know what a raw deal is as well, especially when it comes from a prissy bitch. Ranma Saotome is no-one's slave, so you can take your salvation and shove it up your see-through ass!"

"You…fucking…little…I will enjoy watching you get torn limb from limb. ENJOY YOUR DEATH YOU LITTLE SHIT!!!"

In a blur of movement she was on top of the Golem. With a shriek of "die scum!" she sent bolts of energy visibly coursing through it before vanishing with a laugh that would have done Kodachi proud. With a mechanical whir, the machine-monster's eyes lit up and its head turned to Ranma.

"Shit."

Ranma immediately ran for the other end of the chamber as the Golem tore its way free of the restraints. It twisted its arm around and unleashed a teeth-rattling volley of gatling bullets- but by this time, Ranma was well beyond their accurate range and was able to dodge them even in his diminished condition. He slammed up against the door and grappled with its handle- the damn thing was locked! He gasped and threw himself aside as he heard a missile come screaming through the air from behind him, rolling away from the blast… which conveniently destroyed the locked door, prompting him to scramble to his feet and race through it. As he hurtled down the hallway, he could hear the Golem's mechanical howl drowning out the sounds of it demolishing the passageway behind him.

Desperately, Ranma twisted himself around, running backwards while sending a flurry of Darts shrieking through the air to spatter against its armor like needled raindrops. Twisting the right-way around just in time to see a door fast approaching, Ranma threw an Acid Bomb at its hinges and then launched himself in a flying kick, smashing it down and sending him tumbling into a new chamber, this one full of industrial machinery. He quickly scrambled to his feet and away from the door as the Golem ripped its way in, looking frantically for some manner of exit. There was none; he was trapped.

'Oh great… wait, what did that report say? Immune to guns… vulnerable to magic, especially to acid, fire and lightning!'

"Okay Tin Man! I'm gonna send you back to Oz!" he shouted. The Golem howled and twisted its shoulder-cannon to aim at Ranma. It pulsated with amethyst light and then suddenly erupted in a beam of incandescent purple energy, which Ranma narrowly dodged, enabling it to strike a machine of some sort behind him and utterly destroy it.

'Okay, avoid that attack…'

Ranma began flinging Darts at the Golem again, more to distract it than in any real belief that they'd penetrate its armour. They certainly served to arouse its attention; it voiced a shrieking mechanical roar and began firing wildly with its gatling gun. Ranma leapt and dove frantically to escape being ventilated, ending up tripping and getting entangled in a mess of machinery. The Golem stopped firing its gatling gun, and instead deliberately aimed its Void Cannon at Ranma, launching its purple death ray at its defenceless target. Check that, seemingly defenceless target; Ranma whipped up a Rune Wall seconds before the beam struck, and though the wall itself was destroyed it did succeed in nullifying the attack.

The Golem snarled and began charging the cannon again, but this time Ranma sent several Acid Bombs flying through the air to splatter on the cannon itself, the corrosive slime eating through the armour coating to touch the volatile circuitry beneath. With a resounding explosion, the cannon exploded, the Golem voicing an agonized electronic shriek as Ranma finally struggled free. As the smoke cleared, Ranma could see that great rents had been opened in the Golem's armour, enough that he could faintly make out what he presumed was the core, but not enough that he could actually target it. Still, he now had a plan and sprinted out from his former prison as the Golem righted itself and began firing wildly.

Ranma dodged frantically and then threw a Bolt at the Golem; even though the core was still shielded, the coruscating blast of arcane electricity paralysed the creature long enough for Ranma to manoeuvre so that he could target its flamethrower. A well-placed Acid Bomb dissolved the canister holding its fuel, and as the Golem shook of its paralysis and swung towards him, Ranma threw a Flame Tongue at the gushing canister. The Golem voiced a mechanical scream as it became engulfed in chemical fire, smashing and clawing at its body and wildly launching its rockets. Ranma dodged and weaved to evade its insane antics until he finally saw what he'd been waiting for; the Golem had grabbed hold of a rent in its chest and tore off a great hunk of its armour, revealing the pulsing power core beneath. Rolling forward to evade an errant missile, Ranma fired a Bolt directly at the Golem's core- and not a single Bolt either, but a continuous surge of power.

The Golem's mechanical scream of pain, rage and disbelief practically blew his eardrums out as it spasmed and thrashed in agony, but finally its core short-circuited and imploded. Ranma cancelled his Bolt and leapt backwards as the flaming mass of scrap metal toppled, just leaping out of range as it slammed into the ground with a sound like the mother of all car accidents. Breathing heavily as the adrenaline he'd been running on demanded its return, Ranma stood up and brushed himself off. He supposed this would be an ideal place to make some sort of quip, but he just couldn't think of one. He was about to turn and head out of the chamber when he suddenly found himself encaged in a Ritual Circle.

"Been a while since I've seen one of these." He murmured to himself, then stopped thinking and simply enjoyed the sensation of its power filling him. Once it had vanished, he exited the chamber. He was just trying to figure out where he was going to go next when alarm sirens suddenly began blaring.

"Self-Destruct has been activated. All personnel must evacuate immediately. Deactivating and releasing all locks. Self-destruct has been activated. All personnel must evacuate immediately. Deactivating and releasing all locks."

"Oh shit." Ranma spat and immediately took of running down the undestroyed corridor. A nearby sign pointed the way to the emergency evacuation area and Ranma tore down that corridor as fast as he could go, finding his way to an advanced-looking monorail. Throwing himself against the doors when they failed to react in time, he then dove in and instantly headed for the cockpit to pull the manual start. The monorail hummed and took off, far too slowly for Ranma's taste. He did his best to increase the speed as the rail suddenly shook, the first detonation erupting inside the complex. But there was the light, just ahead… if he could only make it… and then the monorail was out, the mountain behind it erupting in a cacophony of thunder and blossoming flames s Ranma surged beyond it.

Feeling a strong sense of déjà vu, Ranma collapsed into the seat with an exhausted sigh of relief, breathing heavily. He wondered for a second if, when he got back to Nerima (he refused to consider the possibility of not getting back), he'd find the usual chaos relaxing or boring. As the monorail hummed along to its destination, the speakers began to play, a soft, slow rhythm, vaguely like blues music (not that Ranma knew what that was). He began to nod off as the gentle voice crooned its melody.

"I don't want to set the world on fire… I just want to start a flame in your heart…"

Okay, and this chapter is complete at last. Sorry it took so long, but that's to be expected with work like this.

_ERX-117 Necrotech War Golem [Test Model_

_The ERX-117 is a new type of war golem made from the combination of necromantic magic and cutting-edge weapons technology in the form of semi-intelligent missiles and a powerful Void Cannon usually seen on Devil Cancer Gun Platforms. The ERX-117 is a superb fighting machine, but poor design and relatively fragile weapons and systems mean that it will be a while before it reaches the battlefields. Currently the weapon is in its Test Stages with various test-bed units in service throughout the Realm._

_**Packed a hell of a punch didn't it kid? Good thing it wasn't all that tough in a fight or you would've been screwed.**_

_Farsight Ammo: Operating on the principle of magical resonance tunnelling, the Farsight round is our best bet at creating a bullet that can penetrate any form of protective cover. Highly deadly at range, Farsight rounds are designed exclusively for the use of the Steel Hawk sharpshooting pistol. The only drawback is the powerful recoil of the round. _

_**This bullet is good for armoured foes, but you shoot slower thanks to recoil issues.**_

_Lawmaker: A shotgun that is ingrained with significant magical power and regularly used by the military and police forces. Deadly in a firefight with its versatile ammunition types and ability to fire a cluster-bomb attack called the 'Firecracker'. _

_**Anything gets in your face; this'll tear 'em up. Your new best friend in tight spaces and its Firecracker attack makes it perfect for groups of tougher opponents. Multiple ammo types are available for any situation.**_

_Fletchette Shells: Military issue shotgun shells contained finned needles instead of buckshot, these needles are blessed and made from a powerful metal that reacts particularly violently with demons. _

_**Anti-demon and anti-magic shells that can prove useful in putting down the more…inhuman opponents you will face.**_

_Dragon Breath: A specially made alchemical gel round that reacts with firing and the open air to create a massive blast of flame that sticks to anything it hits. _

_**This ammo will turn your enemies into a funeral pyre, aim and enjoy the show!**_

_Doll_

_The scientists, geneticists and alchemists and cabalists of the Enemy came together one day and spent months creating these beautiful demonic constructs. Alluring, the Dolls possess a child-like mentality when first born from their artificial wombs that quickly grows as they explore, learn, and kill. Cunning fighters outfitted with bleeding-edge technology and genetics, Dolls make use of any weapon, as well as an internal needle-gun that can instantly paralyse a target._

_**They can take a bullet to the head and simply get pissed off, but shotguns are surprisingly effective and .454 ammo is quite deadly against them. Getting in close can be hazardous as their arms contain a nasty surprise.**_

_Bone Tongues_

_Vicious mutant fish that were once docile creatures before the invasion. They mainly attack with their long tongues, the end of which is covered in razor-blade sharp bone plates._

_**Pack hunters, but not particularly tough. Even a weenie like you could handle 'em.**_

_Executioner's Judgement_

_A large executioner's axe that emits an aura of bloodlust and eternal hunger. It seems to whisper demands to be fed while not in use._

_**Freaky piece of kit. Be careful when using it, it seems to have a will of its own.**_

_Unknown Mutants_

_Insufficient Data, unable to properly identify._

…_**What the hell are you looking at me for? I don't know what these freaks were.**_

_Form Change_

_A special shapeshifting spell-seed used in the Mausoleum Trials in place of long and potentially dangerous rituals. The spell-seed requires three elements to work; first is Air, used to transform the user into a bat-winged creature with a scaly, aerodynamic hide as well as a short, stiff tail mainly used as a stabilizer in the air. Second is Earth, used to become a bony, almost simian creature with long fixed talons that make excellent slashing weapons and this form is also an excellent climber. Finally is Water, used to become a creature similar to a frogman, but with the addition of long non-retractable claws to aid fighting in an underwater environment. This final form is quite agile underwater despite its bulky and hunched figure._

_**One form turns you into a flying fiend, one form into a climbing sack of bones and barely there skin, and one form that turns you into a frog. Aren't you glad no one else is doing this with you?**_


	8. Chapter 8

**Shadows & Blood**

_Disclaimer: Neither Gideon020 nor I own Ranma ½ or any related characters in any way, shape or form. The Realm of Dark Skies, and all attendant characters/concepts, is our mutual creation and thus legally ours. Note: set late 6th season of the anime, like all my works._

**Author's Notes:** well, this chapter took almost no time at all to come at, eh? So far, our most popular choice for the next project is Chaos Overlord: Herald Ranma, so place your votes!

Chapter 7: Fallout

"Uh- wha? Where...? Huh, musta dozed off..." Ranma murmured, twisting himself to crack the kinks out of his spine from having fallen asleep sitting up. The monorail's music was still playing, though he didn't recognize the song, and curiosity prompted him to look out of the window. Below him he saw foaming, blackish water- was he traveling over the ocean?

Standing up and moving around to get a better view clarified that the monorail was indeed gliding over an artificial 'bridge', which looked to finish up at a large, imposing structure that rose menacingly from the water, a gothic castle dredged from the ocean's depths. Seeing no other choice of destinations, and not really wanting to try meddling with the controls, Ranma settled for working the kinks out and getting himself ready. If there wasn't a welcoming party waiting for him, he'd eat Akane's cooking.

In Nerima, Akane sneezed. "Hmm, must have used too much pepper."

The monorail approached a an imposing black bulkhead that began rising as the car automatically slowed to a halt as the door locked into place and the rail at the far end extended and locked into place before it continued its journey. As it made its way through the tunnel, Ranma noted the flashing emergency lights and fingered one of his three pistols, the Samurai Edge, and waited as the tunnel gave way to a docking station and the monorail car docked with a hiss as the door slid silently open and Ranma stepped out into the dim light, gun out and ready for anything.

Silence was what he received and Ranma chuckled lightly, "Damn, I guess I really am going to have to eat Akane's cooking, and speaking of food." Searching the area, Ranma found a bench and took the time have a few more MRE's, as well as take stock of the amount he had left, at least another six were in the backpack, so his current meal would have to do for now. After finishing his food, Ranma tried the doors, but found that they were electronic, and with the power out, they were also locked. Frowning, Ranma looked around and found a ladder. Shifting the backpack so it would be more comfortable, Ranma began climbing.

The ladder led out through a hatch into a series of tight corridors and as Ranma pulled out a gun, the distinct moaning of Cadavers greeted his ears. Ranma grinned, even if there were large numbers, Cadavers would be easy to deal with. Then Ranma's danger sense screamed and he rolled as a spectral sword smashed into the spot he had just occupied. Turning on the spot, Ranma looked up to see a ghostly man in armour scream something in a foreign language and charge.

Ranma dodged the sword strikes as best he could in the tight confines, and was a little miffed to find his opponent could simply move through walls to dodge his attacks and gunfire. He was almost tempted to use the Curtain Call, when his hand felt the shotgun and he pulled it from its holder at the bottom of the backpack, next to the axe he found as well. Raising the shotgun and channeling his magic through it, he racked the slide and fired. With a loud 'Thud', an orange fireball streaked out of the barrel and hit the ghost square on the chest, before it passed through, and exploded. The resulting spray of ghostly gore stained the hallways with glowing blue ichor, some of it hitting Ranma in the face, causing him to hastily scrape off the icy muck before he glared at the mess and walked away, noting that the moans of Cadavers was getting louder and closer. Feeling the axe he picked up begin to vibrate and whisper pleas to be fed, Ranma sighed and put away the shotgun before pulling out the axe, making sure not to channel his Ki into it as he went zombie hunting.

"Hah! To think I used to worry about you guys! Whoop, lost yer head there? Hey, don't crowd, I got plenty for everyone! You want brains, huh, then try eatin' yer own!"

Ranma's axe shrieked through the air, rotten flesh and bone cleaved effortlessly apart in its wake. He casually struck off the limbs of a lunging zombie, then buried the axe in its head. Ripping it free, he struck out thrice more, sending the last zombie to the ground in a flurry of pieces.

"Pfeh, what a joke. If this is all that's crowding around here, I got nothin' to worry about. Now then, where should I go from here…"

'Here' turned out to be a door with the words 'Communications Room' in stenciled paint as Ranma turned the wheel and pushed open the door with a moan of metal before walking in and looking around. Like every other place, the room had blood spatter everywhere, but of real notice were the bodies of people in the same uniforms as the Cadavers, only they were in a less intact state of affairs. Ranma's danger sense tingled and he turned as another armored man appeared by sinking down through the roof. The man looked at Ranma and grimaced, "You must be the Jap that they're all talking about." Ranma blinked, "Uh yeah, I am. Who the hell are you?"

The man cleared his spectral throat; "I was once Sir Geoffrey Canterbury, now I am an Eternal, a warrior sworn into serving the Sin Sisters as their soldiers." And then he looked a little annoyed, "And also as their hunting dogs. It seems you made one of the sisters rather put off with your answer to her offer in the Medusa Mining Complex and now we've been ordered to kill you." He drew his sword and flourished it at Ranma, "Now then, shall we begin?" Ranma rolled his eyes, hefted the axe, and moved.

The room was not as tight as the corridors, so he could jump around a little, and it made getting hits on the ghost a little easier, but his opponent was skilled with his weapon and knew how to counter axe strikes until Ranma finally chopped through his sword arm and took his head off. The body remained upright for several seconds, before melting into dust and vanishing. Ranma nodded and tried to work the radios, perhaps he could contact someone friendly for some help. It was no good, the only thing that was working was a blinking red button and when Ranma pressed it, nothing happened.

Seeing that there was nothing left to do here, Ranma decided to find a floor map of some sort and maybe work out how to get the power on in this place, if that was possible.

Ranma poked around the room he was in, but found nothing, and eventually tried to find somewhere to go. For the most part, the doors were all locked shut by the power shortage, but he finally found an open door -open because something had smashed it into the room- that led outside. Of course, getting there hadn't been exactly easy; about twenty zombies had ambushed him in the process of finding the place, all of them evidently former workers. Of course, with his new axe and shotgun, Ranma wasn't really bothered by them. Getting caught between two of the "Eternals" out on the battered gantry though, that had been a nuisance. Between the need to avoid their attacks and the need to avoid falling into the ocean, they'd both managed to score lucky strikes -albeit minimal damage- before Ranma had finally dispatched them. The gantry led to a twisted but still-intact ladder, which he'd scaled to reach the level above. After putting down the five zombies that had rushed out to 'greet' him, he'd headed inside and started exploring. The power was off here as well, but more of the doors were open- perhaps the place had a separate power supply?

This seemed likely, because more than once Ranma had to crawl on his belly to evade the attentions of roof-mounted sentry guns, alternatively slithering and tumbling to escape their vision. Finally, his explorations paid off; he found an office with the words "Energy Regulation Administrator" emblazoned on the door, and quickly went inside- this seemed a likely place to find a way to restore power- or at least figure out what was wrong."

The office was a mess, papers and documents of all sorts were strewn across the floor, and as Ranma searched, he found he was mostly looking over energy allotments to certain places. What was interesting was the amount of power needed for the military base, that meant that there was a lot of nasty stuff there, and that meant nastier enemies. Ranma smirked slightly, idly wondering if looking forward to more life-threatening threats meant he was getting used to all of this. He shrugged, no one said that living in Nerima was good for your sanity in the first place as he found something interesting, a document relating to the power supply and extraction operations.

_'For restoration of emergency power, there is an emergency hatch and passageway that leads to the main reactor. In case of Void Energy reserves being low, the extractor beam will have to be connected directly to the reactor in order to jumpstart operations through the usage of the manual override controls in the Reactor control room. Caution is advised as leaving the extractor connected can lead to a catastrophic meltdown resulting in the Rig being pulled into the Void. To locate the emergency hatch, head to the Surface Deck and look around the cooling towers for the hatch.'_

Ranma smiled, but that still left the question of how to get around the place without getting lost or worse. As he continued searching, he found a locked filing cabinet labeled, 'Rig floor plans'. Taking out the crowbar, Ranma got to work forcing the lock. Several minutes of applying his reduced, but still considerable strength finally forced the lock to yield. Ranma went through the diagrams and pictures, before he found a map that detailed the various decks in detail; the only problem was that it was far too large to carry around. Ranma was puzzling over this when he felt the Black Book tingle again and pulled it out and flipped over the pages before he stopped. There in the pages was an exact copy of the map showing the deck he was on, a flip of the page revealed another map. Smiling at his good luck, Ranma placed the book back into its spot in his jacket and got to his feet before exiting the room to work out a route past all the locked doors.

Ranma eventually managed to make his way up to the surface deck, and surprisingly did so without any incidents- not even a zombie ambush. Needless to say, he was anticipating everything going to hell at any moment, And he was quite right to do so; a helicopter, just like that one from the forest, came roaring through the sky to hover over what, if he remembered right, was an access point to the Recreation Deck. He tried to slink back into the shadows, but accidentally kicked over a bucket. At once a spotlight was trained on him and Ranma ran for his life as the distinctive whine of a chaingun reached his ear, diving for the nearest surface entry as the 'copter began chewing up the deck with 30mm rounds.

Ranma had hurried away from the door, instinctively trying to put as much distance between the chopper and himself as possible, especially because it was likely that the chopper and dropped off soldiers like that one back in the forest had. He slowed as he began moving through gloomy bunkrooms, eventually stopping to pull on his lamp and check the map.

He scrutinized it carefully, finally deducing a route that would enable him to reach a new surface access point and, from there, the emergency hatch to the reactor. Memorizing his route, he began moving stealthily on a path that would bring him through the recreation areas. He was just passing through what he guessed was some sort of bar when he heard a voice shout "Flashlight!

Ranma barely had time to duck as the staccato thunder of a machinegun filled the air, heavy bullets smashing into the reinforced wood as Ranma scrabbled for safety by diving out the back door. Fighting to regain control of his breathing from the sudden shock, Ranma heard the soldiers, one of them obviously female, "Fuck! Command wasn't kidding when they said the little rat was fast!" Another soldier sounded up then, "We'd better use the flamethrower when we start clearing rooms, deny him any hiding spots." "Fucking hell yeah! He ain't gonna get away from me this time!" "Do you kiss your boyfriend with that mouth Winters?" "Shut the fuck up!"

Ranma took advantage of the bickering to get some distance, but the crunch of broken glass soon got his hunters into action again as Ranma worked his way through the shops, wincing as he heard the roar of a flamethrower in the place he was last at. A glance behind showed that they were torching places now, taking away potential hiding spots as he stayed in the shadows, and out of view of their goggled faces as the leader shouted, "Switch to thermal, he's using the shadows to conceal himself!" Ranma swore and fired a few shots from the Samurai Edge after he loaded a clip of Nail rounds, hoping they could at least knock the soldiers down. The bullets struck the leader's chest and staggered him while Ranma dashed into another store.

Ranma didn't have time to use the door and instead dove through the window, falling to the ground in a shower of shattered glass as bullets began punching through the air above his head. He kept his head down and half-slithered half-crawled towards the nearest vent, pulling it off and sliding inside just before an incendiary grenade came bouncing into the room.

The explosion sent flames roaring into the duct, but Ranma had fortunately managed to squirm through it sufficiently that he wasn't severely burned, though he naturally insisted on putting as much distance between himself and those soldiers. Finally, after writhing through a confusing maze of twists and turns, Ranma couldn't take it anymore and pushed himself out of the next vent.

He found himself in what looked like a small armory- with a spell-seed housed in a glass-doored cabinet of some sort.

Ranma began searching the armory, looking for the usual clue or key that would help him get the cabinet open... only to find nothing. Even casting Revelation didn't help, and Ranma began to wonder if maybe he'd have to find the clue somewhere else- if he did, then he'd probably be better off leaving it here; playing 'tag' with a bunch of automatic rifles wasn't his idea of fun.

Frustrated, he punched the wall, and yelped as a loose cable suddenly swung down, almost zapping him. Bouncing back out of range, it was the work of a moment to seize the frantically lashing cable and then jam its wiring into the cabinet's lock, shorting it out and making it pop open so he could grab the spell-seed.

With a faint burning sensation that made Ranma unconsciously rub his arm, the spell-seed was absorbed and Ranma checked the Black Book for info. He was soon rewarded with a picture of an eye with a crosshair at the center as the words began appearing.

_"Plasma Limpet: A magical tripmine created for use by commando teams and saboteurs, the Plasma Limpet fulfills the function of both demolition charge and tripmine for any situation calling for large explosions. The Plasma Limpet operates by locking down a portion of the caster's mana to create a discus-shaped force of magical energy that can be attached to any surface. To use the Plasma Limpet as a mine, place it on any surface with the glowing eye facing outwards and it will beep before glowing green to indicate it being armed, to use it as a remote charge, place it eye down on any surface and it will beep and glow blue to signal it can be detonated with a mental command. Use this wisely, as the explosion is very powerful."_

**_"Big bangs are always fun, but only if you're not in the way. Stay away once planted or throw these charges."_**

Smiling, Ranma immediately invoked the spell-seed and was rewarded with a glowing purple discus that had the crosshair pupiled eye from the book on one side. Letting a slightly evil chuckle escape his lips, Ranma left the room to turn the tables on his hunters.

He didn't have to wait long, for as soon as he left the room he heard the sounds of the soldiers moving closer and with smirk, planted the limpet in his hand eye down amongst some trash and was rewarded with a faint beep and the change from purple to blue as Ranma made his way to another store to watch the fireworks. Sure enough the group appeared in his sights and Ranma waited, before tugging the mental pulse that had made itself known when he planted the charge. With a sound that only be lightly described as a roar, the charge detonated and ripped a massive crater in the metal deck as wreckage and shrapnel went flying everywhere while Ranma was knocked backwards by the sheer force of the explosion, holding his ears from the noise. Eventually the ringing slowly dissipated and Ranma groggily got to his feet before looking out at the carnage. The crater went clean through to the next deck down and the store and armory were now thoroughly ruined. Looking around, Ranma didn't see the soldiers and realized that the explosion must have utterly destroyed them, "Damn, the book wasn't kidding about getting out of the way." Looking around, Ranma saw that there was an access point to the surface and looked over his maps and smiled when he realized he was at the place he needed to be. Now all he had to do was avoid that helicopter and open the hatch to the reactor.

Ranma pulled himself to the surface, using the wreckage as a ladder, and then took off running in the direction that, according to the map, would lead to the access point. For some reason though, the helicopter didn't appear, and he made it through the hatch without a hitch. As he headed down the corridors leading to the reactor, nothing ambushed him either. Something was wrong...

The reactor chamber was a science nerd's wet dream; a huge floating sphere at the center of an equally large ring that had visible, pulsing lines of energy running across it. Below the array was an empty tank of some sort, probably to house coolant of some manner. As Ranma took a closer look at the reactor sphere and the numerous rods sticking out of it like a bad acupuncture job, he noticed the cables attached to the ring flowing either into the Rig, or collecting to snake down into the shadows…

Shadows that were moving! A long, mechanical claw shot from the darkness and past Ranma as it grappled into the metal with a shriek as a steady hollow booming sounded before he saw it. It was huge, red and apart from the two claws, Ranma could see an array of weapons that were fairly quivering with the desire to tear him to pieces, but what caught Ranma's attention was the giant cannon that was trained right at him!

With an electronic shriek the cannon fired, Ranma leaping backwards just in time to avoid being obliterated. The beam was so powerful that it tore a great crater in the floor, and Ranma just managed to land on the edge. Not that his relief lasted long as the flooring gave way beneath his feet and dropped him into the darkness below.

With a loud thud and a faint "Oof!", Ranma landed onto the cold metal floor of...somewhere else. As he got back to his feet and looked around, Ranma saw...absolutely nothing. The sound of the massive robotic beast moving around sounded above him and Ranma frowned as he spotted a large hole far above him. He sighed and turned, and stopped when he saw what appeared to be a shrine, or memorial that definitely hadn't been there before. Walking over to the shrine, Ranma found a clip of bullets for the Enfield that were as black as sin, and a Naginata with a rather well-made and ornate blade and as Ranma picked it up and twirled it, the blade sliced through a piece of metal like tissue paper, prompting a whistle from our pigtailed hero. The Black Book tingled again and when Ranma opened it, there were two more items of information.

_Death Rounds: Bullets for the Cursed Enfield made in an attempt to copy the powers of the Curtain Call bullet. Fired in sufficient numbers, it can bring down even the largest opponents. _

**_Nasty little ammunition used to put down tough loonies, like that armored bastard up top._**

Ranma flipped the page and found another entry, and raised an eyebrow at the info.

_Gate Maker: The signature weapon of the youngest of the Sin Sisters, who fell in battle to a powerful Chinese warrior woman. Her weapon is capable of creating gateways that while are of limited range in the Realm, are practically unlimited on Earth, allowing the wielder to go anywhere. While in the Realm however, the Gate Maker can only travel distances of twenty meters at maximum._

_**Now this should be useful. Unlike Eternals, the Sin Sisters can't be touched by normal magic, so this will be very handy.**_

With info in hand, Ranma decided to see how the whole gateway thing worked.

First, he loaded the Enfield with the Death Rounds- these would probably be useful for dealing with that machine-thing. Then, slinging the gun back over his shoulder, he drew the Gate Maker and focused his ki in it. Picturing the reactor, he raised it up and swung it down, slicing a gash through the very air, a wound in reality that tore open with deceptive slowness to reveal the reactor chamber- and the creature clanking around below. Without hesitation he stepped through and, upon finding himself on some gantry that ran the circumference of the chamber, targeted the machine below. The Enfield spat its deadly payload, the ebon bullet punching through the machine's armor plate and causing a miniature eruption to bloom. Without so much as a sound of protest, the crab-like engine of destruction whirled around to face Ranma, who took off running to avoid the resultant energy blast. So began a deadly game of tag, with Ranma racing around and around to avoid being blasted and firing his own shots whenever the opportunity presented itself. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the telling blow landed and the creature became engulfed in flames, its legs failing and sending it crashing to the floor before it erupted in a massive explosion. Ranma laughed softly, and then swore as he realized he'd just exhausted his supply of Death Rounds. Still, it was worth the cost. Now, to get this place back online...

The battle had ruined quite a few of the ladders that led up to the control room of the chamber, and it took a fair amount of climbing, shimmying along narrow ledges, and swinging with the Magna-grapple across broken bridges, but he eventually made his way to the control room. The Control Room appeared to control two separate areas, the reactor chamber and the chamber in front of him, a massive room dedicated to the operation of a massive laser array. Ranma marveled at the sheer size of the machinery before shaking his head and remembering what the document he had read hours before had said. Working the controls to direct the pipes and cables was simple enough, thanks to the still operational touch screens, but connecting it to the giant ring that the computer listed as the actual reactor core...that was a little more difficult. After finally managing to connect the final cable after 30 minutes of exhausting his extensive supply of swear words at the inaccuracy of the connection arm, Ranma hit the button to start everything up and smiled as the lights began to brighten.

Turning to watch as a beam of energy slammed into the water and began boiling everything away, Ranma watched as a substance that seemed to give off a reality defying black light was sucked into the array and began feeding into the reactor as it hummed happily.

Underneath the waves in the black seas, something was not happy as it awoke from its placid slumber to the feeling of its food source being sucked away from it and began heading to the surface to find the reason. As it stretched great tendrils of psychic energy, it discovered the source of its food theft and became angry. The only warning Ranma had was when a mess of tentacles, two great armored claws and a horribly mutated head erupted from the black waters with a thundering cry of "USURPER! THIEF! SCAVENGER! I WILL CRUSH YOU!" met his ears, shattering the glass of the control room as the tentacled monstrosity heaved itself through the opening in the beam collector as it shut down to avoid overload from the sheer amount of Voidstuff literally rolling off the beast's slimy scales. With a furious wail, the nightmare attacked.

Ranma narrowly dodged aside as a cluster of tentacles came whipping down to smash into the spot where he had been standing. In an instant he brought the Gate Maker whistling around- only for the blade to pass through the slick flesh as though it hadn't been there. Despite himself, Ranma stared stupidly- and promptly caught a blow in the chest that probably cracked at least three ribs.

"Okay, that didn't work... try something else..." Forcing himself to his feet, Ranma blasted the creature with a Bolt -it was a water creature after all, and didn't lightning usually work on water monsters in videogames?- but it didn't work either, and neither did the volley of Steel Hawk bullets he sent winging its way, after which he had to flee to avoid being crushed/dismembered.

Ranma did his best but found himself seized in the creature's claw, which then hurled him back into the control room. He painfully fell over the console, accidentally triggering the extractor beam as he did so. The great cannon-like aperture hummed menacingly and then blasted the abomination, whose scream of pain and fury shook Ranma from his dazed state.

"So that's the trick? Alright then, try this- hey! Why isn't it working?"

"Alert! Biological Presence detected! Circuit breakers 1 to 4 now active."

The computer's voice chimed. Ranma swore, then hurled himself aside -unmindful of the protestations of his body- to avoid being struck. He could vaguely make out a collection of four glowing canister-things scattered around the perimeter of the chamber and set off running.

"Wait, why am I footslogging?" he asked himself, pulling out the Gate Maker and slashing a gash through reality to enable him to jump straight to the first canister, unknowingly doing so just as the abomination's claws tore through the section where he had just been. Rematerializing in front of the circuit breaker, he brought the naginata's blade whistling through the air and destroyed it. Once again the beam lanced down and burned into the monstrosity's hide, once more it screamed in pain and lashed out at the source of its torment, but Ranma had already teleported over to the second one and dispatched it as well. Soon the other two circuit breakers had been destroyed, but the creature was still roaring its hate and defiance, albeit hideously mangled.

"What do I need to do to kill you!?" Ranma snarled.

The monster voiced no answer save for a roar of, "DEFILER!" and belched a cloud of gas that ate away the metal railing in front of Ranma, who teleported again before a computerized voice sounded over loud speakers, "Circuit breakers destroyed, engaging manual lock." With a loud shudder, the beam's exit was sealed by an armored plate and then Ranma saw the blinking switch on the metal ring of the muzzle and looked around as he dodged another tentacle, and saw that he could use a series of still intact walkways to reach the muzzle and teleported again to reach the lowest walkway as the beast roared again and smashed a tentacle through the walkway as Ranma jumped and created another gateway, landing on the next walkway and with another running jump, teleported as a burst of gas melted the metal. The third jump was trickier in that Ranma had to run along the wall and teleport so he could catch a steel cable and swing onto the metal ring, before shimmying towards the switch as the metal walkway began to collapse.

The beast screamed and wailed, lashing the array with its tentacles, but could get a good grip as Ranma found the switch and slowly forced the switch down with his feet before with a loud clanking the lid fell away and the beam fired one last time, right into the monstrosity's gaping mouth.

The beast wailed and with a scream, finally grabbed the array and heaved with its ruined tentacles, trying to swallow the entire machine into its bleeding, gaping maw. Ranma leapt from the machine and with a swipe, warped back into the control room as the computer suddenly chimed, "Warning! Reactor critical failure imminent! All locks released, evacuate at Transit station! Evacuate at Transit Station!" With a curse that couldn't be heard over the wiling sirens and the screams of the beast flailing about with the extractor array, Ranma saw a door had opened and started running as he heard the beast scream out, "I WILL HUNT YOU! I WILL DESTROY YOU! I WILL CONSUME YOU!"

Ranma didn't know how long he had been running down corridors, sliding down ladders and kicking open now unlocked doors, all he knew was that his heart was trying to escape his chest as alarms blared deafeningly while the roars and screams that preluded the sound of ruined metal and the hissing spark of electricity before Ranma found his way back at his starting point, running through the open security door near the ladder he had climbed so long ago Ranma saw that the monorail had changed position but didn't care as he boarded it and frantically pushed buttons and flipped switches.

The monorail began to move torturously slow out of the station as the beast ripped through the metal with a wordless wail, bleeding from numerous gashes as it lashed at the monorail before the computer simply stated, "Warning, reactor critical! Warning! Reactor..." There was a wave of white as the monorail finally picked up speed. Ranma stared out at the Rig, watching as it sank into the water before with another flash, a mushroom cloud filled the air as the radio started up again.

As Ranma sat down, he suddenly jabbed himself and found he had sat on a large, jagged crystal before a vision of the mural came into his head and he pocketed the crystal as a song began to play over the radio once more.

"We'll meet again...Don't know where...Don't know when...But I know we'll meet again some sunny day..."

_This chapter was lot shorter than the last one… but it was a pretty straightforward piece of work. Anyway, Ranma's only got two regions (and thus 2-3 chapters) left to go before this story is over and done with. Place your votes for the next project you want us to bring out, or just let us know what you thought of this one, and review. Tita'Ragash_

_They say that the creatures of the dark are never pretty to gaze upon. The cthuloid monstrosity known as Tita'Ragash is such a hideous creature that some warriors are believed to have gone mad from its sheer grotesqueness. A crab-clawed, tentacled beast with a face a mixture of human, shark and something utterly alien, Tita'Ragash is, to put it politely, rather dim and is usually obsessed with attaining a constant supply of Void Energy to consume, fighting viciously to attain and afterwards to protect its source of food. While not very bright, Tita'Ragash is exceptionally tenacious, always holding onto the very last in a fight, and chasing down opponents to the bitter end. Most people have reported that conventional firepower and spells do nothing due to the thick coating of Voidstuff acting like a second skin and impenetrable armour, but there should be a way to bypass that perfect defence._

_**Once you work out the trick, this guy's a pansy, a tough pansy that'll chase you to hell and back, but a pansy regardless. What? You scared, cupcake?**_

_Devil Cancer_

_The MNS-00981 class of Mobile Gun Platform is a crab-form weapons delivery unit the size of a small building and armed with the weapon that gives it the title of devil, the Void Cannon; a focused Void Energy gun capable of tearing through the toughest shields. Very little save for armour-piercing artillery and tank shells can punch through its battleship-thick skin, but some types of enchanted bullets can do a decent job of killing it, once you find them._

_**Don't get cocky now; a fully armed Devil Cancer can step on you without a second thought, so make sure you watch your step because one wrong step and that cannon will make sure you have all the time in eternity to regret it.**_


	9. Chapter 9

**Shadows & Blood**

_Disclaimer: Neither Gideon020 nor I own Ranma ½ or any related characters in any way, shape or form. The Realm of Dark Skies, and all attendant characters/concepts, is our mutual creation and thus legally ours. Note: set late 6th season of the anime, like all my works._

**Author's Notes:** now this chapter was out quick. Just one more left to go before this story is finished. Be sure to review please.

Chapter 8: The Black Gate

Ranma woke up and stretched from another bout of sleeping sitting up before looking out the window to see something that he hadn't seen the entire time he had been on this crazy, violent quest. He saw the sun, a dark red baleful eye slowly rising into the clouds that covered the islands and though it wasn't much more than a glimpse, it cheered Ranma up slightly. Then he saw something approaching from the rising sun, a glint of light on metal that resolved itself into...helicopters!

Within seconds the aircraft were hounding him, their guns blazing as chaingun rounds began to tear up the monorail car. Ranma grabbed the controls and tried to increase speed, but the helicopters were faster as they easily kept up while pouring on the fire before one fired a missile at the tracks ahead, prompting a shout of "Oh shit! Not again!" before the car careened off the tracks and slid through the forest, bringing down trees before striking a rock and flipping over to crash solidly against another, larger tree.

Ranma groaned as he crawled from the wreckage, badly battered and cut as he pushed himself to a sitting position and pulled out another regen serum, the pain now a simple full-body numbing sensation as he chuckled, "Guess I must be used to these things if a little numbness is what I get." Getting to his feet and swaying slightly, Ranma took off at a slight jog as the sound of rotor blades began to fill his hearing. He guessed that soldiers would be appearing soon and at that thought he realized that perhaps his handy notebook might have some information. Pulling it out he flipped through the pages until he found a picture of the soldiers he had been encountering on random occasions.

_Cleaners: The Cleaner is the popular name for the demonically tainted, human infantry that serve the numerous Void Powers in their conquests. While many come from Earth, Cleaners may come from Void Realms or even different realities as the need dictates. Cleaners come from all backgrounds, from US Marines and Rangers to SS Sturmgrenadier and Mujaheddin fighters, and all fulfill the same function as infantry, though their tactics, weapons and ability vary. Cleaners are to be regarded as highly dangerous, as they carry the best weapons, body armour and equipment._

**_These guys always work in groups and alongside other beasties, and are more common the closer you get to the Enemy. Watch your back, and don't let your guard down._**

Nodding at the advice, Ranma looked around and wondered where he was supposed to go from here. It was times like this he wished that he could contact either the Dark Rider or Gunslinger, but he didn't know how.

As he was thinking about it, he suddenly heard the Dark Rider's voice in his head, "Boss, can you hear me?" Ranma jerked and looked around, but couldn't see anyone, couldn't even hear the distinct sound of the Rider's living motorcycle. Then he remembered he had been concentrating on the Dark Rider and tried it again, this time thinking up a question, 'Rider? It's me, Ranma.' There was a brief pause before he heard the Rider's voice again in his head, 'About damn time, where the hell are you?' Ranma shrugged, though he had a feeling that the Rider couldn't see it, 'I had to go to this big oil rig place, and now I'm in the middle of a forest after some helicopters attacked my train.'

He waited for a response before the Rider spoke up again, 'Sounds like you're near the Military Base, those helicopters don't have much range, so they were obviously expecting you. Better head to the north, following the monorail tracks until you reach a bridge, that'll take you to the Military Base. Just be careful, they'll have patrols out looking for you and that means Cleaners, and Depravers.'

Ranma cocked an eyebrow, 'What the heck are Depravers?' The Rider simply replied, 'War demons, powerful one at that. You see one, you run boss, don't try and fight them if you have a chance to get away.' Ranma shivered, whatever these demons were they had to be nasty if he was being told to avoid them at all costs before he replied, 'I'll do what I can, but trouble always seems to find me.' There was a chuckle, 'I can tell. Take care boss, and remember what I said about the Depravers.' With that the connection was ended and Ranma looked around to see that there was no-one about before he started walking back to the monorail tracks to start following them

Ranma had continued along steadily since his mental communication with the Rider, going as fast as he could whilst sustaining his energy and keeping to the shadows to avoid being spotted by circling helicopters. Finally, he could see a visibly-fortified complex looming up ahead; this had to be his destination. He started to pour on speed, then suddenly screeched to a halt- what was that sensation? That feeling that something was tugging at him, crying out for him?

He turned- though it wasn't exactly a sound, he could "hear" it more clearly if he turned in a certain direction and so he set off, following his "ears" to find the source. And at last he found it; standing before him, on the brink of collapse, was what looked like a traditional Japanese shrine, a small pagoda made from wood and stone. On the altar within lay an ornate katana, its blade crafted from some eerie, jet-black metal. Ranma stepped forward to take a closer look; the hilt was bound in black and bloody-crimson silk, and it lacked any sign of a sheathe. He picked it up gently, idly noting the way the blade seemed to drink the light and thirst for more, before he began to examine its blade.

On one side was engraven a meticulously detailed image of the Orochi, the eight-headed dragon beast that embodied sin and evil. On the other was a row of kanji, a litany of words of descriptors for death, destruction, bloodshed and carnage. Ranma pulled out the Black Book, eager to find what treasure he had unearthed now.

_Orochi Blade: A full-length Japanese Katana said to be cursed with the spirit of the legendary Yamata no Orochi itself. An evil blade, it consumes the souls of those it slays while allowing the wielder to project demonic snakes as an extension of their consciousness to strike down hiding enemies or take them by surprise. Beware, the blade desires souls once drawn from its scabbard and must be fed before returned, otherwise it will take a portion of your soul._

_**Demon blades...You never seem to catch a break, do you kid?**_

Ranma slipped the Black Book back into his backpack and hefted the katana gingerly, fighting off the instinctive comparison of himself to Kuno. He made a few practice swipes with it, only to be disrupted by a sudden feral scream from behind him. Instantly he whipped around, bringing the blade scything through the air in an overhead arc that bit into the skull of the charging beastman, passing through skull, throat and chest until he'd practically split it in half. There was no blood, and before his eyes the body collapsed into a cloud of dull, colorless ashes- not grey, for even grey was a color, but utterly devoid of color. Ranma had no time to ponder the illogicality of that before he was surrounded and he brought the blade arcing through the air again.

With every stroke he made the blade whistled through the air, passing neatly through flesh and bone and leaving nothing but a small mound of ash on the ground. Within seconds he had cut down those who had attacked him, leaving but a single survivor running for safety. Instinctively he focused his ki into the blade, hearing an inhuman cackle before a translucent ebon-black shape, like the head and body of some monstrous serpent or twisted dragon exploded from the blade and shot forward, a tendril of shadows that plunged into the back of his victim with jaws agape. The Feralkin was reduced to a statue of solid shadowstuff before Ranma's eyes, the entire process taking less than a heartbeat, before it melted away like ice in a furnace, leaving behind the waving body of the umbral serpent, which slowly retracted back into the blade as Ranma ceased focusing on it.

"Wow..."

Ranma stared at the colorless dust that was being swiftly dispersed by the wind and stared at the katana in his hands, "What…the hell? What was that? Was that actually the Orochi?" As he looked around he heard that same inhuman cackle before a voice whispered in his head, "You are the one. No other has been able to wield me without succumbing to the temptation of power I represent. Know this boy, I despise magic in all its forms. So long as you wield me your spells will not work. I also require to be fed a soul once drawn, so pick your battles wisely, or it will be your soul I consume!"

With another harsh cackle, the voice vanished from Ranma's head. Shuddering at the darkness it had possessed, Ranma searched the temple again and eventually found a secret compartment in the altar that contained a scabbard, which he used to sheath the blade before strapping it to his waist onto the belt holster for his Showstopper. Thinking back over all that had happened to him so far, Ranma realized something. He had received a Ritual Circle enhancement, so why hadn't another dead master appeared from his Slayer Staff? Taking the weapon into his hands, Ranma focused his Ki and was rewarded with the blades, but the third jewel had yet to activate. Puzzled, Ranma returned the staff to its holder next to his new naginata and left the temple, intent on finding that military base.

Hours of walking passed and soon Ranma got his first sign of other people in the forest, namely when he saw a flare go up and a helicopter fly over where the flare had been fired from. Ranma stealthily moved through the forest, working his way through the trees and bushes as he heard the sounds of helicopters and ground vehicles before he dived behind a thick cluster of bushes as a large half-track smashed through the undergrowth and came to a stop. As Ranma started working his way around the vehicle and its likely heavily armed occupants, he heard a voice that was not human snarl out, "Greshak'tualsdar! Hairk! Furiosk'tcat!" He turned and froze. Standing several meters away from his was the meanest, evilest looking demon he had ever seen.

It was at least seven feet tall, a set of four long horns curled back on a tough-looking mottled green head that had no visible nose as baleful yellow eyes searched forest as it snarled, revealing sharp, saliva-soaked teeth. It was dressed in a military uniform that was stretched over it like a second skin, and the only reason Ranma didn't think it was that was when it undid several straps and rolled its huge shoulders slightly before re-securing its uniform and hefted a huge gatling gun in one hand while loading a drum of ammunition before barking out more orders in its bizarre demon tongue.

Ranma carefully crept away, now realizing exactly why the Dark Rider had recommended flight over fight. Anything that could carry a minigun like an assault rifle was not something to confront lightly. Suddenly he heard a twig snap and swore silently as with a shout of "HARA!" the beast charged into the undergrowth and Ranma started running for his life. He found a ditch and rolled into it, placing himself behind a rock as the demon stopped and looked around, sniffing the air and breathing like a enraged bull in a pen, Ranma could see the steam leaving its nostrils as it voiced a bone-chilling roar and stomped off back to the halftrack, obviously displeased at missing its prey.

Crawling back out from his hiding spot, Ranma breathed a sigh of relief before nodding to himself, "That must mean I'm closer to the base if I'm encountering something like that. So that means I just keep going in the direction I was heading." He looked around and a sweatdrop appeared as he laughed weakly, "Now I just need to work out which way again." Looking around again, Ranma found some tyre tracks and followed them, hoping he was heading in the right direction.

Ranma soon found he was heading in the right direction when he found himself walking towards a guarded checkpoint and a bridge. The Dark Rider had said to cross the bridge, but the fact that two of the nasty looking demons were guarding the checkpoint while several of those soldiers called Cleaners were also present, one of them armed with a rather mean looking sniper rifle that put Ranma's to shame. Looking around and hiding behind a rock to avoid being spotted, Ranma saw that there was a walkway under the bridge, obviously for maintenance. But how to reach it?

The answer came as Ranma watched a truck approach the bridge and a rather important looking Cleaner got out to speak with the guards. Realizing his chance, Ranma dashed from his hiding place and crouched down near the bridge before slowly and gingerly opening the nearby service hatch and begin the climb down to the walkway below. Just in time as well, for the conversation between the officer and the soldiers had nearly ended as Ranma's boots touched the walkway and he was gone, running down to the other side as the truck rumbled above him towards their mutual destination; the Military Base.

Ranma quickly and quietly began heading through the service tunnels; with luck, these subterranean passages would lead him into the base without having to worry about guards or alarm systems. Things got a bit unpleasant when he found himself wading through the sewer systems, the ice-cold filthy water prompting his transformation into a girl, but that surprisingly didn't last for long- he ended up walking beneath a pipe or something just as a torrent of hot water came gushing forth, reverting him to his true gender. Blinking at his surprising curse-related good fortune, he finally found his way to another ladder, which he climbed due solely to the fact he didn't have a clue where he was. Cautiously peeking into the space above him revealed some sort of garage, and he pulled himself onto the surface.

Quietly Ranma snuck through the various vehicles, using them for cover when he heard guards approaching, until finally he made his way out of the chamber. He was indeed in the base itself, and before him he could see a weird, twisted tower-like structure, its form oddly fluid and organic. Its tip seemed to stab the dark skies above like a razor, strange growths and tumorous protrusions adorning it beneath the spire. Strange fluxes of energy pulsed and surged from these lumps and spines and bulges, and Ranma instinctively knew that this was his destination. The only problem was how to get to it without getting overwhelmed by the guards...

Ranma carefully searched for a clear path to reach the building, but each turn and junction was guarded by Cleaners, Dolls and Depravers and as Ranma considered going to the rooftops, a glint of a scope from a nearby guard tower disabused him of that notion, better to be alive and scurrying like a rat than sniper bait. Eventually he found a good way to avoid detection was to use the various vehicles as hiding spots and crawl underneath them and also move behind stacks of crates and barrels as patrols moved past; the Cleaners chatting while keeping an eye out for anything suspicious, the Dolls silently staring and gliding ahead as the Depravers occasionally sounding soft growls as they stomped behind. But no matter how often he hid and moved between vehicles and objects, getting closer to the actual tower was slow going.

Ranma was about a quarter of the way he figured when he entered a building to use as a shortcut and to plan his next move. As he walked through the corridors, he stopped when he found the armory. Looking around to check for patrols, Ranma placed his hand against the electronic lock and fired a small Bolt into it. With a hiss and a crackle, the door lock released and the portal swung open as Ranma stealthily entered and closed the door.

Inside was a treasure trove of weapons parts and Ranma instantly got to work, since the opportunity might not arise again. To the Samurai Edge he fixed a laser sight, while the Steel Hawk and Cursed Enfield received new scopes, both of them high-tech, multi-spectrum vision types with increased magnification, with the rifle also receiving a bayonet to be fixed beneath its barrel. To the shotgun Ranma happily fixed a mean-looking tazer-attachment. He then began looting the room of ammunition, grabbing hundreds of bullets and shells, not knowing just what he might face in the future.

Satisfied with his haul of ammo and other neat stuff, Ranma then had an evil idea. Since this was a military base, that meant there had to be a supply of food here, and, well, Pops always said that if they can't catch you, then it's free.

"This has to be the only time where I'm actually agreeing with Pops on something. Gotta remember to punch him extra hard next time we spar- right after I break every bone in Kuno's pathetic body!"

Finding the food stores was a little more difficult, since there were actually guards in the buildings as well as outside, but it seemed that they were preparing for an infiltrator moving on the outside, and Ranma couldn't help but smile as he went to turn a corner, and then froze before diving back around the corner. Ranma peaked out and scowled at the security camera whirring happily above a door that said, "Ration Stores 12." Looking around for something he could use to get past the camera, he spotted a fusebox at the far end of the hall and grinned. With a single Bolt, the lights shorted out and immediately he heard a voice over the base intercom, "Send an electrician to Barracks Compound C with an escort."

Taking advantage of the confusion, Ranma decided that the only way to get to the tower was to make sure no one was around to see him running there. After grabbing a mess of MRE's for later, Ranma returned to the armory and invoked his Plasma Limpet spell as he placed the powerful magical explosive under a rack of large rockets and bolted from the building to find a safe hiding spot, no damn way was he going to only a stone's throw away from this!

Ranma ran until he reached a parked truck and taking a brief glance before ducking down, he tugged the mental pulse in his head. The sound was as deafening the second time round as Ranma watched a huge towering plume of flames streak into the sky as various ordinance detonated and cooked off as alarms began to scream across the base. Seeing that the job had been done, Ranma began running to the tower, throwing stealth and caution to the wind. And as he ran, he glanced back and grimaced before pushing himself to run faster as a helicopter started following him.

Chaingun fire tore up the ground behind him, and more than once his pursuer issued the pneumatic hiss of deploying missiles. Ranma was forced to weave past parked APCs and trucks and dive through warehouses to avoid being killed, leaving a trail of destruction in his wake. He had just gotten out of the most recent warehouse prior to its explosion when he saw a way to overcome the electric fence guarding the tower. Dashing for a pile of crates, he used them as a steppingstone to leap over the obstacle and land, somewhat heavily, near a generator on the opposite side. Unbeknownst to him as he darted through the main door, the 'copter had stopped firing and was simply hovering, seemingly watching him before he disappeared inside.

Inside turned out to be quite a marvel; Ranma found himself amidst a strange mixture of high technology and gothic architecture, a giant sculpture of a broken-winged angel dominating the room- which was much bigger than the exterior had suggested. Ranma took a few tentative steps forward, his footsteps on the marble floor echoing dully around the chamber, then spotted a small computer console near the base of the statue. He walked over and turned it on, reflecting as he did that he'd gotten quite good with these things since he'd gotten here. The computer, some manner of information terminal, revealed a map of the tower- and right at the tower's peak was a room labeled "Teleportation Array". Ranma knew that this was where he had to go, and proceeded up the spiraling stairs on either side of the angel. On the second floor, he found himself admiring a collection on intricate stained-glass windows... which promptly exploded in dazzling showers of slivers as three figures burst through them!

Ranma rolled away as a fist smashed into the ground where he was while unconsciously noting the appearances of the girl-creatures- Dolls, the book called them. All three had the exact same face and body, differentiated solely by the colors of their hair and eyes. Lifeless green, blue and violet orbs regarded Ranma before, with a screech, one of the Dolls rushed forwards. Ranma weaved past the punch and pulled out the shotgun, racking the slide and firing in one swift movement. The buckshot blasted a hole clean through her abdomen, the Doll voicing an electronic wail as she collapsed, which Ranma ignored, discarding the shotgun in favor of Executioner's Judgment.

The axe quivered with anticipation as Ranma engaged the next Doll, only to drop to the floor as he saw it raise its arms and make a flicking gesture in his direction. Darts fired from small holes in the forearms, which passed barely millimeters from Ranma's face as he slid, span on the floor and brought the axe up and down into the Doll's chest, who then proceeded to stare dumbly at the blade as Ranma tried to wrench it out- the damn thing was stuck!

Suddenly he felt a slim arm coil around his neck and yank him away from his victim, the force sufficient to tug his grip from his weapon before he found himself being flung bodily into a desk, sending papers and a computer crashing to the ground with him. The Doll approached slowly and peered over the desk, and was met with a computer screen being smashed onto its head. The Doll spasmed and twitched wildly before dropping to the ground as Ranma leapt over the desk with Gate Maker in hand. With a twist and a sickening scrunch of broken bone and torn flesh, he ripped out the Doll's heart with a flourish and tossed it away casually before turning to the Doll that had finished pulling out the Executioner's Judgment, warping behind it and splitting its skull like a melon before taking the axe back.

As Ranma looked at the dead bodies, he nodded and returned both blades to their holders before he heard the sound of a helicopter and five Cleaners wearing a strange looking medal around their necks rappelled into the room with a cry of "Schlag! Schlag! Schlag!" They had no sooner hit the ground than they raised their assault rifles, in response to their leader's shout of, "Keine Gnade! Keine Auslieferung!" opened fire, sending Ranma running for cover.

As he ran, Ranma called up the now-familiar power of Plasma Limpet, leaping forward and spinning around in midair to launch the mystical mine straight into his enemy's ranks. They scattered and dove for cover as it came spinning through the air to detonate in their midst, but Ranma was sure that he'd gotten at least some of them. His frantic headlong flight was arrested by the presence of an elevator. He frantically slapped the 'Open' button.

"Come on, come on, get me outta here!"

At last the doors shot open with a soft 'ping!' and Ranma dove through, hitting the button at the very top of the panel in hopes that this would take him to the top chamber. The doors slid closed and the elevator began ascending, that weird soft music that elevator makers apparently thought was soothing beginning to pipe into the chamber. Ranma was too relieved to care, simply falling back against the rear of the elevator and heaving a sigh of relief. The lights suddenly flickered and an all-too-familiar feminine laugh echoed through the chamber. There was a sudden bright flash of light, and Ranma found himself standing in a hallway waist-deep in blood, nothingness behind him and a burning door in front. Ranma resolutely began wading through the gore to reach the door, feeling a little creeped out about the fact that this scene wasn't disturbing him in the slightest. Despite the raging flames, the door was no hotter than normal, but as Ranma's hand reached out for the knob the light flashed again.

This time Ranma found himself in a burning Tendo Dojo, walking ghost-like through the flames and smoke to reach the front door. Again there was a blinding flash, and this time he found himself walking through a corridor of rusty, gore-spattered steel walls, striding over filthy iron mesh and brushing past flayed, burned corpses hanging from the ceiling and nailed to the walls. The laugh rang out once again, and with a final blinding flash Ranma found himself back in the elevator, which slid open with a 'ping!'. He walked out, and found himself not on the desired floor, instead in a chamber that reminded him of a prison.

Ranma walked into the center of the room and looked around, waiting for the ambush to happen. Laughter sounded again as this time, two teenage Chinese girls phased through the floor, one of which Ranma recognized as the ghost girl from the mines. The older looking of the two cocked her head at Ranma and smiled lecherously, "Oooh, he's a cute one. And you made him out to be some sort of ugly, diseased slob."

The younger one snarled at Ranma, "He will be when I'm done with him!" Ranma chuckled, "Jeez, you still sore about what I said at the mines, or is it that time of the month for you again?" The younger ghost flourished her weapon and lashed out, only to meet Ranma's Gate Maker. The two ghost's eyes widened in shock before the older one spoke again, her voice becoming low and dangerous, "Where did you get that blade?"

Ranma frowned, "On some weird oilri-Hey!" That exclamation came as Ranma dodged a spectral arrow as the older ghost drew back another shot with the bow she had procured from...somewhere. Ranma landed and immediately parried the attacks of the younger ghost.

Thus began a deadly dance as Ranma alternately dodged, counterattacked and warped across the prison chamber as the two ghosts hounded him from all sides, the younger ghost easily able to easily keep up with Ranma's speed while the older one fired barrages of arrows that exploded when they hit anything. Suddenly, Ranma tripped and the younger ghost leapt at him with a howl of delight, only for her triumphant expression to be replaced with one of horror as Ranma brought up the Gate Maker and impaled her in midair. He rolled away, twisting the blade so that the spectral body was split into two ragged halves with a squelch as the ghost turned to Ranma and coughed out weakly, "You...fucking...bastard." before her body melted away. Ranma didn't have time to celebrate as, with an enraged roar, arrows came from every direction and Ranma was forced to dodge and deflect constantly, his mind racing to conceive a plan before he warped again, and that was when inspiration hit.

Exiting the warp, Ranma turned as another barrage raced at him, and slashed open another rift while focusing on the ghost's back. The arrows hissed into the portal and with a strangled cry, Ranma saw his strategy had made its mark. The ghost's back was a pincushion as a glowing blue ichor flowed from the wounds and her mouth before with a choked sigh, the body melted away into nothing, leaving Ranma alone in the room. Ranma sighed, and slumped to the floor as fatigue and adrenaline caught up with him and he tiredly looked around for a safe place to at least take a nap before staggering over to a cell with its door ripped off and collapsed on the bunk, too tired to notice the hardness of the mattress.

An hour later, Ranma woke up and stretched out the kinks before deciding to try and find the exit. The door he had entered through was locked and Ranma could faintly make out fallen girders blocking the way before he shrugged and found a ladder to one of the higher cell catwalks. At the top, Ranma found what appeared to be an airlock and pressed the button on the door lock. With a hiss of air, the door opened and Ranma walked into a glass-walled corridor and gaped at what he saw. Stretching out as far as he could see were hundreds of supercomputers and as he watched, small drones attached and removed cables and plugs seemingly at random. Ranma walked along the corridor, amazed at what he saw, "The school computer club would be drooling at all of this, shame I'll probably have to break it."

Suddenly he heard a roar and looked around before he heard the distinct crack of glass breaking and turned to see a large, clawed hand gripping the glass before with a heave, a Depraver launched itself through the glass and onto the bridge as the doors suddenly locked down. Ranma took a step back before another roar sounded and a second Depraver smashed through the roof, landing in a crouch before drawing itself to its full seven feet. The one that had climbed into the room gave a shout of "Hiushstal'ulack!" that was replied by the other demon with, "Yunjgil'ilokcs!" before they trained their baleful yellow eyes on Ranma.

With his route of escape cut off, Ranma had no choice but to fight. Instinctively he went for the one weapon he was positive would be able to harm these brutes- the Orochi Blade. With a whisper like the dying gasp of a star, it slid free, practically humming with unsatiated bloodlust. Ranma dove forward, meeting his opponent head-on rather than giving it the chance to riddle him with bullets. He wove around its scything blow, bringing the sword whistling up in passage to neatly pluck the brute's arm like a daisy. The severed appendage hit the floor and dissolved into ash, taking the beast's gun with it. The creature screamed its fury, which quickly gave way to pain as Ranma seized this opportunity to slice open the front of its throat and then open it up from crotch to breastbone with an upward stroke.

These two wounds from the enchanted blade proved fatal, and Ranma practically dove through its disintegrating form to reach the other Depraver- who had apparently anticipated Ranma's move and struck him from the air, sending the katana rattling along the floor. Ranma shook his head frantically to clear it, then pulled his legs up and rolled aside to evade a downward-arcing blow that split the marble where it landed. Blocked off from the Orochi Blade by his hulking enemy, Ranma pulled out the shotgun instead, frantically changing its ammo for the anti-demon Fletchette shells as the Depraver pulled its hand free and swung its chaingun in his direction. Ranma blasted it straight in the eyes, sending it spiraling backwards with a hand clamped over its lacerated face but clearly it wasn't down yet. Perhaps out of some instinctive tactic, more likely out of sheer adrenaline surge-induced stupidity, Ranma got right up and blasted it again, and then again, with the third shot finally tearing its head to pulp and splattering the mangled ruin across the computer array. Ranma wiped some gore off his face, then retrieved the Orochi Blade.

With a chiming beep the doors unlocked and before Ranma's eyes, a Ritual Circle appeared. Eagerly jumping into it and absorbing the energy in preparation for what was to come, Ranma suddenly felt his Slayer Staff vibrate and drew it to reveal the final two jewels were now glowing before, with a flash, twin men in matching suits of green and deep-blue appeared. The blue-garbed man bowed to Ranma as the man in green spoke, "Honorable warrior-brother, we apologize for not showing ourselves sooner, but we had to ensure you were worthy of this gift." The man in blue nodded, "I am Dao and he is my twin brother Mao; masters of water and earth respectively. Our channeled power allows you to use the Acid Bomb spell to create a powerful burning mist that shall shield you from physical attack, and allow the Bolt spell to travel underground to explode in a great geyser of lightning. Along with this, we give you a powerful spell-seed, entrusted to us to only give to a worthy warrior." With a flourish, a spell-seed appeared, this one appearing to be a skull surrounded by black flames like a comet.

Mao nodded, "This is the Sargasso Comet, one of the most powerful spell-seeds to survive the invasion. We have ensured that it is fully evolved so you will not need amplifier crystals for it. Take it and use it with honor." Ranma bowed to the two spirits and held out his hand for the spell-seed. The sensation of absorbing it was little frightening, mainly due to the fact that the spell-seed had yowled like a c-ca-furry demon of hell before it vanished into his being. The two spirits noticed Ranma's discomfort and Dao smiled, "Do not worry Ranma, the yowling of the Sargasso will now only be heard by your enemies, while you simply hear a hissing growl from them." Ranma sighed in relief and as the two spirits bowed and vanished, Ranma invoked the Sargasso Comet spell and was immediately surrounded by six burning black skulls that growled constantly. As Ranma wondered how to use the spell, the Black Book tingled and Ranma took it out and opened it before finding the drawing and the new information.

_"Sargasso Comet: A powerful spell said by many troops to be comparable to a rocket launcher in combat, the Sargasso Comet unleashes a burning skull that tracks down enemies until its supply of mana is exhausted. Once invoked, Sargasso Comet locks down a small portion of mana for each skull summoned, up to a maximum of six skulls. To direct the skulls to attack, simply focus your thoughts on a target and the skulls will intelligently make their way at high speed to the target, phasing through any obstacle save for containment shields and anti-magic generator fields." Then the rough author appeared,_

**_"This spell uses the fire and forget principle. Fire a skull at a target, and forget about it."_**

Ranma closed the book and looked at the skulls before noticing a drone flying past without a care and smiled. Focusing his thoughts on the drone, a skull shrieked and flew off towards the drone before striking it and exploding in a large, blue fireball, the drone ripped to pieces by the explosion. Whistling at the explosion Ranma dispelled the other skulls, "Not bad, and at least the explosion isn't as big as Plasma Limpet. Better get going, that explosion would have alerted someone by now." Ranma glanced around for any more potential pursuers, then dashed through the open door.

Ranma walked down the dark corridor for several minutes, occasionally looking out the windows and noticing that the view changed each time. One window showed a great skyscraper with three red beams of light sweeping out from it. Another window showed misty mountains while the one before the door out of the corridor showed a ruined city engulfed in flames.

Opening the door after looking out at the bizarre landscapes, Ranma walked into what appeared to be a hanger and cautiously pulled out his Slayer Staff, ready to use his new spell variations against anything that should appear. He got his wish as with a loud grinding, a cargo access door opened and with a roar of some demonic engine, Ranma saw him.

Rumbling through the door was the torso of a giant of a man, his lower torso replaced by what appeared to be a miniaturized demonic halftrack, if the skull hubcaps on the front tyres and the ribcage-styled suspension were any indication. The right arm of the cyborg was replaced with a wicked looking armored weapons pod, which swung towards Ranma but made no other movements. A cybernetic eye glowered at Ranma alongside its fleshy counterpart above a smoking cigar and the upper portions of what appeared to be a General's uniform. The cyborg rolled in front of Ranma and stopped with a hiss of compressed air, looking down at Ranma while puffing his cigar thoughtfully.

The cyborg took a drag of his thick stogie and took it from his mouth before breathing out a thick cloud of blue-grey smoke, "So...you're little shit-eating faggot that's been causing so much trouble around here? Funny, I was expecting a soldier or perhaps a barbarian of sorts, not some slant-eyed runt wearing a girl's pigtail. " Ranma narrowed his eyes, "And I was expecting something more intimidating than a fat man in a fancy wheelchair. What happened, you stood up and crushed your legs under your own weight?" The cyborg's organic eye widened, before he laughed uproariously, "Hahahahah! You got balls kid, no one's ever spoken to me like that! But the fact remain that I am still going to kill you." Ranma snorted, "I faced nastier looking things than you, so forgive me if I ain't impressed." The cyborg smiled evilly, "Momma always said that actions speak louder than words, so here's my opening statement!"

With a roar of his engines, the cyborg charged and brought a meaty fist down in a left hook that Ranma dodged before pulling out his Steel Hawk and fired off a clip into the cyborg's back. With a roar of pain, the right arm came round and the weapon pod fired a machine gun, sending heavy-caliber bullets into crates and barrels as Ranma took cover behind a pillar, before the pigtailed teen reloaded and grimaced at the lack of pain, "Must have body armor, or all that fat stopped the bullets. Maybe..." He cast Plasma Limpet and threw the disk at the cyborg's lower torso, watching in satisfaction as the tyres and treads went flying and sent the cyborg skidding to a halt. He then pulled out the shotgun and proceeded to empty it into the cyborg's chest before a punch sent him skidding backwards. With a snort and lighting up a new cigar, the cyborg brought up his weapon pod as Ranma tossed an Acid Bomb at the machinegun.

With a hissing crackle and a few sparks, the machinegun barrel melted before it was ejected in a cloud of carbon dioxide as the cyborg rotated to a flamethrower and fired a stream of blue-white flaming liquid at Ranma, who danced out of range and fired the Cursed Enfield at the Cyborg's head, scoring a hit on the cybernetic eye that finally drew a scream as the cyborg grabbed his ruined eye and fired another stream of flames at Ranma. As he ran around the Cyborg, Ranma saw that the treads and tired were actually regenerating, meaning that the cyborg would soon chase him down with his weapon. Grimacing, Ranma invoked Sargasso Comet and drew the Slayer Staff before focusing his thoughts at the cyborg and unleashed six shrieking, chattering skulls towards the cyborg just as the last tread link locked in place. The cyborg was thrown forwards by the explosions and Ranma saw what appeared to be armour plates literally bolted onto the skin beneath its mangled uniform as the cyborg turned with a rather displeased expression, "Now you've just pissed me off."

No more words were said as gunfire and spells were traded like pieces of candy and after close to an hour of fighting both combatants were looking worse for wear; the cyborg was bleeding from several gashes where the Slayer Staff had managed to catch him and there were bullets holes covering his armor, while Ranma looked like he had been sparring with a wrecking ball. As they stopped to catch their respective breaths, Ranma slowly pulled out a Regen serum and jabbed it into his chest, trying not to scream as the pain that had first appeared came back with a vengeance. After the pain vanished, Ranma took a ragged breath as the cyborg raised an eyebrow, "Well now, I've never seen anyone who could resist screaming their lungs out using that stuff. Not bad."

He raised his gun arm, the battle having exhausted most of his ammo save for one weapon, and Ranma watched as a mean-looking energy rifle replaced the missile launcher he had been dodging 15 minutes ago, "It still ain't going to save you though." With a sound seemed to defy description, a blue ball of energy streaked at Ranma, who threw up a Rune Wall and started running again, 'Dammit, this is going nowhere fast! I need to bring that bastard down, but how?' Ranma looked around as he span past another energy blast before he saw what he was looking for and smiled, "Oh yes, that will do just fine."

Whipping out the Gate Maker, Ranma slashed open a warp hole and dived into it, appearing above a chain that he promptly sliced through before replacing the Gate Maker with the Executioner's Judgment and grabbed the chain as it was pulled down… by the large jet engine it had originally been holding up. The cyborg barely had time to cry "Oh shit!" before the engine came down on top of him, the force of the crash reverberating through the floor to dislodge several fuel drums, spilling their flammable contents over the cyborg as Ranma climbed down the chain and landed softly on his feet in front of the cyborg.

The machine-man looked weakly and smiled, revealing bloodstained teeth as he croaked out, "Well, you beat me kid. I can see it now, why you haven't been stopped. You're a fucking lunatic; it's the only way to explain how you got this far. Here, take this." He handed Ranma a medal and a strange metal card, "You'll need it to get on board the Black Ark, where the Master is." He coughed up blood and grunted in disgust, "Such an ugly way to die. Kid, do an old soldier a favor and end it quick."

Ranma said nothing as he pulled out the Show Stopper and pressed it against the cyborg's head and pulled the trigger. As he holstered the gun, the Black Book tingled and he opened it to a picture of the cyborg soldier.

General Saboath: The leader of the Cleaners, Dolls and Depravers in the service to the Enemy, General Saboath is one of the Enemy's inner circle, privy to a wide array of critical information. Without his leadership and brutal charisma, the Enemy would be plagued by constant infighting.

Then, underneath it,

**Killing this guy will put the entire chain of command down the crapper. Good job.**

Shrugging, Ranma returned the book to its pocket, "Good job or not, it's another step towards ending this madness." With that he started walking, following a sign reading, "Teleporter Chamber."

The Teleportation Array was something out of the demented dreams of a science otaku, an insane tangle of non-Euclidian metal spires and incomprehensible banks of machinery. Sparks and beams of electricity, light and energy flowed and surged from point to point, and for a brief second Ranma wondered how he was supposed to use this thing. And then, he felt something come over him, his body was no longer his own control and he strode towards a particular bank of computers. Tapping on the controls, he then strode into the center of weirdly-shaped struts and protrusions, which began to hum, glow and move, steadily increasing in fervor and speed until they finally unleashed crackling bolts into the spot where Ranma was standing. For a brief second, Ranma was outlit, a miniature sunspot, and then he was gone.

_Depraver: War demons from an unknown hell-dimension, the nomadic Depravers go wherever there is a war. And they are good at what they do. Wielding everything from giant blades to the most advanced vehicle mounted weaponry like gatling guns and plasma cannons, the Depravers are the hard hammer behind every Void Realm war, striking deep into positions where their tough hides and enhanced healing works in their favor. _

**_You run whenever you can, because they ain't as dumb as they look. One wrong step, and you won't have time to scream._**

_Sin Sisters: A long time ago, three demon sisters sought to be born in human flesh. The hitch came when two were born in a remote village of woman warriors in China, while another was born in Japan. Regardless, they grew strong until the one born in Japan, the youngest, was slain. This prompted the remaining two sisters to accelerate their plans, resulting in a bloodbath before the strongest of the Chinese warrior-women defeated the sisters, who retreated into the Void, taking the weapon of their fallen sister. _

**_Nasty bitches. That's it._**


	10. Chapter 10

**Shadows & Blood**

_Disclaimer: Neither Gideon020 nor I own Ranma ½ or any related characters in any way, shape or form. The Realm of Dark Skies, and all attendant characters/concepts, is our mutual creation and thus legally ours. Note: set late 6th season of the anime, like all my works._

**Author's Notes:** Well, this is it, the final chapter of Shadows & Blood. It's been fun, and we hope you've enjoyed it. Remember, this is your last chance to vote on which project we start work on next.

Chapter 9: End of the Line

The deck of the space station vibrated as Ranma ran through the corridor, breathing hard before groaning when he heard a series of electronic screams behind him and swore, "Dammit! I thought that Limpet would have distracted them!" Following him were three Dolls, different ones from the ones he had faced earlier; a trio of Dolls with guns attached in place of a forearm were running along the walls, while literally skating after him were another three Dolls with wicked looking swords affixed to their forearms. Glancing ahead, Ranma saw that he was approaching a dead end and came up with a plan. As the group was about to hit the dead end, Ranma planted his feet on the wall, ran up it and pushed himself off while whipping out the Steel Hawk.

The Dolls mimicked him, but they couldn't mimic his shots- Ranma managed to cleanly put a bullet into the heads of the gun-arm Dolls, but snorted when he saw that the blade-arm dolls simple blocked his shots, obviously having better reflexes. With a hiss, the Orochi Blade was out and the battle was joined, blades clashing as Ranma focused his Ki and a demon snake sprang from the blade to wrap around one Doll as Ranma locked swords with the other, before lashing out it a sweep kick and spinning to take the head of the trapped Doll before bringing the blade down on the tripped Doll's chest. Ranma dropped to the ground to avoid a slash that would have sliced his spinal cord in two before wrenching out the blade and ramming it through the third Doll's chest. The Orochi Blade chuckled darkly as the Dolls melted into dust before Ranma resheathed the sword.

Looking around, Ranma knew that he would have to take another route, and ripped open a vent cover before crawling in, the cramped vents forcing Ranma to drag his backpack after him with his foot as he navigated the cramped vents, glancing through grilles to try and get his bearings while avoiding being spotted by the Cleaners, Dolls and Depravers that were now actively hunting him. He shuddered slightly as he remembered the burns he got from the plasma cannons the Depravers were carrying, and how narrowly he avoided being turned into a pincushion by those...nailguns, he supposed, that the Cleaners had taken to carrying, alongside compact laser rifles, while the few Dolls he had seen that weren't rollerskating or equipped with gun-arms were dressed in near skin-tight black uniforms and wearing red berets, leading Ranma to believe that they acted as officers to the other two types.

Ranma continued crawling down the vents until he noted that they were getting wider, to the point that he could actually start crouching and put the backpack on. As Ranma continued to travel, he opened the Black Book and noted that it was devoid of information on the new Doll types. Ranma frowned; the book had been silent ever since he arrived- it was as though it no longer wanted to provide information on what he was going to be up against. Placing the book back in its pocket, Ranma continued through the vent.

The vent eventually gave way to a passage, and soon Ranma was walking through a stone corridor with ornate carvings on it, "Okay...somehow a metal vent becoming a stone corridor doesn't seem all that weird. Gah, I have to get back to Nerima soon, take a holiday from all of this. Blood, guts, guns, weapons, and monsters for every occasion. I think I've finally lost my mind." Finally, the corridor gave way to open into a large chamber with a ladder leading down.

The chamber was not filled with monsters or deadly traps. In fact once Ranma got a better look he saw that he was inside a trophy room. Taking a seat near a suit of futuristic looking combat armour that was holding a double-barreled shotgun, Ranma decided to take the time to have a meal before heading out. He idly looked around the place as he ate; at the opposite end of the room was a turned-off TV, with a blank DVD case sitting on top of it, the spine of which was marked 'Starkweather Productions: Carcer City'. On a nearby table was a newspaper, the top story of which looked to be something about some narcotic cop's rampage through New York City. Display cases placed around the room displayed a variety of things, including giant axes, swords, evil-looking tomes and a weirdly converted chainsaw. Finally, Ranma finished his meal and began looking for the exit.

The only way out apart, from climbing the ladder, was a large golden door that was sealed by an ornate lock in the form of a wing skeleton battling an angel, so Ranma started searching for the way to open the lock. After some searching Ranma noted that there was a fairly modern card reader in the center of the door, so he pulled out the silver card he received from General Saboath and slid it in. With a faint chattering whirr and a beep, the skeleton and angel withdrew before the door swung open and Ranma stepped through into what appeared to be a giant cathedral, great stained glass windows backlit by giant lamps lined the roof, depicting scenes of war and carnage as Ranma walked towards a massive black door.

He was almost about to push the doors open when suddenly the door bolts locked into place and chanting filled the air. Ranma turned and saw armored men and women wielding longswords, greatswords and some with hammers walk from the shadows, chanting bizarre litanies before they formed ranks and stood in front of Ranma.As Ranma tensed, ready to fight despite the impossible odds, an imperial voice suddenly rang out from the sealed chamber behind him.

"Stand down. I claim the honor of dispatching this enemy champion in single combat. Enter, mortal, and die with courage."

The bolts opened and the door swung inward with the deep, mournful groan of a dying man. Ranma spared one look over the motionless legion of armor-clad warriors, then turned and walked through the door into the darkness beyond, drawing the Orochi Blade -for some reason it seemed appropriate- as he did so. Behind him, the door sealed itself shut with the finality of the Doomsday Clock.

As Ranma walked into the gloom, the haunting sound of organ music filling his ears, light began to appear in the form of ornate candelabras rising between hard stone pews, illuminating a path of black marble and great columns of granite and black iron that rose into the inky darkness that was the roof. Ranma walked forward, and for a brief instant it was as though the pathway stretched onwards into infinity. And then Ranma found himself standing before the podium at the head of what was undeniably a church. There, a figure kneeled in pious reverence before an altar of obsidian, above which dangled the form of a tortured, mutilated angel, grafted from precious metals and secured by great chains. As the music pulsed and reverberated, Ranma hesitated, and then the figure spoke.

"So, you do indeed possess courage beyond that of most mortals. Or mayhap you believed that you stood a chance against me alone, rather than my legion of Fallen? No matter. You are here, and this is where your journey ends, before the altar of Torment Eternal, within the Cathedral of Darkness Ascendant. I am Grandmaster Sangrias. And you, mortal, are dead."

With that he stood upwards, a towering, imposing figure, and swiveled to face Ranma, smoothly plucking a broadsword and medium shield from the altar as he did so. His armor was black as sin and red as heart's blood, engraven with images most foul and profane. From his back sprouted wings like those of the sire of all drakes, and his eyes were pitiless orbs of fiery gold. He made an elegant salute with his blade, and then lunged forward to the attack.

Ranma barely reacted in time, bringing the Orochi Blade up to intercept his foe's sideward stroke. With the screams of a choir of damned souls the two fell blades clashed against each other before Sangrias thrust his shield forward into Ranma's face, an unexpected blow that broke through his defenses and knocked Ranma to the ground. He rolled away to the side as Sangrias split the marble with a downward slash, springing up in a powerful thrust to restore his footing. Sangrias leisurely raised his sword, which began to glow with a baleful unlight, then grasped it two-handed and drew it up against his side as though preparing to make a sideward blow.

"Shadow Wave!" he roared, and brought the blade scything around. A crescent of purest darkness sprang forth in its wake, hurtling through the air directly towards Ranma. Ranma dodged, barely, and then leapt aside to evade the column that toppelled from behind him and crushed half a dozen pews beneath its weight. With a defiant yell of his own he dove forwards, bringing his cursed katana shrieking through the air towards Sangrias's throat. While the blow had come too swiftly to be dodged, Sangrias did react in time that it failed to strike home and true; with a beat of his great wings, he sprang backwards so that the blade failed to open his throat with its merciless caress as Ranma had intended. However, Sangrias could not escape the attack entirely; though thwarted in its goal the blade still struck, its tip gouging wickedly into his chest and piercing plate and mail as though it was clothe.

Blood, red as any human's rather than the black ichor Ranma had been expecting, gushed forth and Sangrias gave a roar of fury and disbelief. Upon witnessing the keenness of his blade's edge, Ranma struck his advantage home by deploying the rapid-fire sword thrusting that was Tatewaki Kuno's trademark "Blue Thunder Attack". Sangrias, as anticipated, half-jumped backward repeatedly in an attempt to evade the deadly stabs, eventually stumbling over a pew, which was when Ranma struck out with a powerful downward blow that surely would have cleaved Sangrias in half- had not he used his shield to absorb the blow. The blade bit deeply into the metal obstacle, cutting it nearly in half, and as Ranma drew the sword back for a second blow Sangrias threw the sundered shield into his face, forcing him to block and giving himself the opportunity to launch himself into the air. He hovered above the field, beyond Ranma's reach, as a steady trickle of blood rained from the gash in his chest.

"You chicken, come down here and fight me fair!" Ranma protested, unthinkingly falling back into his habits of old. Sangrias laughed, a deep throaty laugh, and then raised his now-free hand, which became engulfed in flames of the same hue as those which had outlined his blade before.

"Shadow Star!" He called, thrusting his hand downwards at Ranma and unleashing a flurry of what Ranma could only describe as oversized umbral shuriken. Thinking instinctively, he focused his will into the sword he carried and thrust it upwards in reply, no less than seven of the demonic shadow-dragon heads from before erupting from its ebony surface and howling upwards into the sky. They caught the shadow stars in their jaws and crushed them, or simply smashed them aside with their bulk, until the air was cleared. They voiced an unsynchronized shriek of triumph and then retreated back from whence they came. Sangrias simply hovered in the air, staring down at Ranma with inscrutable purpose, then clenched his sword with both hands and dove downward

Ranma met him halfway, springing up as high as he could in his diminished state and weaving to the side to evade Sangrias's diagonal slash, responding with his own stroke that bit deeply into Sangrias's left wing, half severing it and sending the dark angel tumbling to the ground. Landing heavily, he drove his sword into the ground and then used his now-free hands to tear both wings from his shoulders, screaming his hate and fury as he did so. The bloody appendages had no sooner hit the ground than Sangrias had snatched up his sword once again and, clutching it in both hands, was charging Ranma with terrible speed, his howl echoing throughout the chamber. Their swords flashed and clashed, sparks flying from the fury of their impact, and for a second it seemed as though Sangrias would use his inhuman strength and vitality to literally beat Ranma into the ground. And then, it happened- Sangrias aimed wrongly to counter one of Ranma's strikes and Ranma hewed off his right hand at the wrist. Sangrias defiantly transferred his weapon to his left hand and came at Ranma again, but this blow had all but decided the warrior's fate.

The Orochi Blade flashed through the air and raked open Sangrias's gut, and as the Grandmaster clamped his hand over the dreadful wound to keep his guts from spilling across the floor, Ranma darted around behind his foe and struck twice, severing his hamstrings and sending him collapsing to his knees. As Sangrias still tried to deny his fate and rise again, Ranma gripped the Orochi Blade two-handed and sent it singing forward in one final, fatal blow. Sangrias's head bounced thrice and then rolled to a halt as behind it the dark angel's body collapsed in a spreading pool of blood. The Grandmaster... had fallen.

Ranma breathed heavily as the adrenaline retreated, but as he was about to return the Orochi Blade to its scabbard, his hand stopped before he heard the Orochi Blade's dark, rasping voice chuckle in his mind again, "Yes, such hate and anger in this fallen one. His heart, we desire his heart and what we desire, we will not be denied." Ranma found himself pointing the blade at Sangrias' corpse and with a laugh that chilled his blood and formed ice on the marble, eight shadowy dragon heads sprang from the sword and dove in to feast on the dark angel's body, tearing great chunks of meat from the bone before one of the heads voiced a triumphant shriek and yanked the heart from the corpse, prompting a brief tug of war between it and another head before it sucked the heart in. With a deafening chorus of pleased screams the heads retreated into the blade before the dark voice spoke again, "We follow your will, but should we fall into the hands of another, we will live again."

Ranma shuddered, that did not sound like a good thing as he resheathed the Orochi Blade before stepping past the ruined corpse and began searching for an exit. His efforts were rewarded by a crawlspace behind the altar opening up, revealing a ladder descending downwards. Ranma took one look around the place before beginning to climb down into the shadows. The climb was long, and through it all Ranma listened to a thumping, like the beat of some great heart, before he saw a red light at the bottom and continued climbing. As Ranma got nearer to the light, he noticed the rungs of the ladder becoming sticky and wet, and as he reached the bottom he saw the reason. He was standing in a slaughterhouse, the bodies filling the room so that he was literally knee-deep in the dead as Ranma trudged through the gore and filth, relieved that the blood and other fluids wasn't leaking through his much-abused boots as the beating became louder before with each beat, the lights began to flicker as the corpses began to pile higher and higher.

Before long, Ranma was climbing a mountain of dead, covered in black blood and other, more despicable liquids before he reached the top and pulled himself onto a ledge overlooking the chamber he was now in. To put it simply, the room was filled with corpses while mounted on the roof where saws, hoses and what appeared to be Tesla coils and a blender as Ranma raised an eyebrow and quickly made his way from the platform he was on and onto a nearby catwalk as the beating sounded again, now a deafening booming that caused the mountain of corpses to shift slightly as Ranma found a nearby control room. As he looked over the controls, he found a button to open the door out of the chamber, but frowned when he saw that the door was underneath all of the corpses.

Going over the controls, Ranma found the controls for the various saws and other tools on the roof and pressed the button to start them up, before selecting an option reading 'Finely diced', figuring that would mean less corpses to walk through. With a scream like some great whistle, the machinery got to work and Ranma watched with a little queasiness as the corpses were blended up into a meaty slurry, before a drain opened and jets of water began to drain the room of the bloody soup. Once the last had been drained, the blood-caked door opened with a tortured groan and the sickening squish of old blood that had been soaking the metal finally shifting. Ranma found a gore encrusted ladder near the catwalk and after climbing down, quickly made his way through the door.

Ranma ran down corridors of spotless white metal, his boots leaving a black-red trail as the only evidence of his passage as the beating continued at a deafening volume as he ran down the pentagonal corridors before suddenly a wall slammed down in front of him, and behind him. Ranma pounded on the walls, before a hissing alerted him to a green gas flowing in to the room. Unable to defend against the mist, Ranma slowly slumped to the ground as his vision blurred. He retained consciousness just long enough to see the walls retract and a pair of Cleaners grab his arms and start dragging him before the world went black.

Ranma groaned, coughed and blearily opened his eyes to find himself in a cell, his guns and weapons gone. A quick attempt to cast an Acid Bomb was met by nothing, not even Revelation was present. He had been captured. Looking around his cell, Ranma knew he had to get out of the prison he was in before it was too late. Finally, his search turned up a small vial of liquid and the words 'Nova 908SB'. He smiled and walked over to the cell door. After checking there were no guards around, Ranma poured the tiny vial into the lock, which promptly began to smoke and warp before with a hard push, the door ground open with a shriek as Ranma immediately took off running to find an exit from the prison before anyone came to investigate.

As he ran down the catwalk and then into a nearby corridor, his mind was racing. He needed to find and get his stuff back along with his spells. He knew that so long as his body was weakened, he wouldn't last more than a few minutes before he was taken down. As Ranma frantically searched the various offices, he finally found a storage room marked 'Confiscated Goods' and kicked the door open before rushing in to find his stuff. He found his backpack, most of his guns and blades and all of his spell-seeds behind a bulletproof glass cabinet and when he tried the console to open it, the screen simply said, 'Black World active, shut down before resuming normal operations.' Swearing viciously, he looked around and saw his Samurai Edge still intact along with the pile of ammunition he had accumulated for it.

"They must've been interrupted while tagging the stuff. At least it's a weapon, but I'd better shut down this 'Black World'. Now if only there was a map around...aha!" Ranma walked over to a wall map and began memorizing the way to an area called 'Black World System Core' before grabbing as much ammo as he could carry before leaving the room.

Ranma jogged down the pentagonal, spotless metal hallways, noting in the sterile white lights that at some point his clothes had been cleaned, or replaced he couldn't tell. "Awfully kind of the bastards." With that, Ranma kept jogging down the hallway, noting the various signs at intersections until he was following a single black sign with white writing down a hallway that was steadily growing darker. Before long Ranma was running down a corridor illuminated only by the lights at the corners, giving an eerie impression of running on pure shadow before Ranma saw the airlock.

The door hissed open and Ranma walked in, trying to make out something, anything in the gloom. Then the lights began to brighten to reveal a giant globe of Earth held in place by four gripping arms while the light revealed streams of data flowing in all directions. As Ranma looked around, he heard a cold, evil laugh fill the room and drew the Samurai Edge, ready for anything. Except the arms holding the globe of Earth to retract and the globe itself to warp and shift wildly before revealing a glittering metal sphere that slowly floated towards Ranma, "Hmmm; so you are the one who has done so much damage to us? You are the one who stole the Master Library from me, and used it to track down and destroy our hold in this realm? I was expecting this, for the data from the Master Library's tracer program meant that soon you would come for me."

"Master Library? Wait a sec- tracer? You knew I was coming?"

"Of course."

"Then how the hell did I make it this far? Why didn't you just call every goon you've got down on top of my head?"

"Because you were not, and are not, worthy of such countermeasures."

"What the hell are you talking about- I've kicked the ass of every bozo stupid enough to get in my way!"

"They were pawns, easily replaced. But you have come to the end of the line. I am the right-hand of our lord, He Who Is Beyond Darkness, the director of His warmachine, the general of His armies. You cannot prevail."

Throughout this spiel, the globe's appearance -as well as that of the chamber they were in- had been changing. The globe had become dark and monochromatic, as though it had been charred black, and obsidian spines -like miniature spires- had thrust through its surface. The chamber Ranma was in had warped so that it looked as though he was now floating through an infinite void- whilst standing on a miniaturized version of Earth. The sight was somewhat disorientating, and Ranma nearly lost his balance before he figured out that the planet actually moved to give him footing. Recovering from this, he whipped out his Samurai Edge and, not bothering to waste any quips on this arrogant... 'thing', blasted it. The results were disappointing to say the least; there wasn't so much as a scratch on it.

"Pitiful creature. You cannot penetrate my armour. Come, let me show you oblivion..." the darkened globe began to shudder and tremble before it suddenly split open, a great fanged maw leading down to a pyramidal crystal-shape, rather like the spell-seeds. There was a sensation of something huge and terrible drawing breath, which quickly intensified into a howling vortex that was clearly intent on drawing Ranma into the globe's maw. He struggled against the pressure, trying to resist, then received a flash of inspiration. He aimed at the crystal and fired thrice, whereupon the vacuum ceased and the globe violently slammed shut as an electronic screech reverberated around the chamber, cracks forming in the globe's surface.

"Graaagh... insolent flesh creature! I will show you the true meaning of suffering!" At this the tips of various spires began to glow, before suddenly erupting in beams of brilliant light that lanced through the air towards Ranma, who had to twist and leap to evade them. But the creature's weakspot had been revealed, and Ranma now knew what he had to do.

Ranma dodged and weaved through barrages of beams, streaking meteors and warping black holes as the back orb threw out taunts as it attacked. He winced as a meteor struck him square on the chest before he heard a mocking chuckle, "Weak, just as my calculations predicted. My victory is therefore assured." Ranma snarled, "You sound just like Kuno, you know that?" He didn't expect the monster to respond, but it surprised him again, "Oh really? Rest assured that you will have all the time in the world to tell him about my similarities to him once the gateway is secured. Your death will herald an age of darkness and murder without end, and soon we will suck Earth dry of its treasures and leave the husk while your kin are enslaved for all eternity." Ranma said nothing as a Black Hole suddenly appeared behind him and tried to suck him in, the suction nearly as strong as that of the orb in front of him before he took aim at one of the spires and fired. The bullet smashed through the spire, but otherwise left it undamaged as the orb chuckled, "Lonely, let me keep you company forever."

With a heaving sigh, the orb split open, but as Ranma was about to aim, he yelped as several lasers fired from the spires, and dodged before the suction could start up. As the orb began to form another sucking vortex, Ranma aimed and fired off two rounds, the bullets piercing the crystal and eliciting another pained scream as the shell began to nearly shatter from the release of energy.

"Graaigh! You will suffer for this!" it screamed, increasing its efforts to even greater heights until it was all Ranma could do to escape oblivion. Finally, the globe split itself open again, though this time it also began blasting him spasmodically with all of its laser spires. This failed to prevent Ranma from making one final shot, a shot that proved decisive. No sooner had it struck home then an all-too human scream echoed through the chamber. The deep cracks and fissures in the globe's surface were now glowing like burning flames, and in random sections circular explosions erupted as magma began spraying from the resultant crater like blood from a wound. As more and more geysers erupted, the globe voiced a shaky laugh.

"It-it's no... matter. You may... have... defeated me... but you... cannot beat... the... MASTER!" this last word became a desperate, pleading scream as the explosions stepped up in occurrence, the globe shaking wildly until it finally exploded in one, last, terrible blast of flame and rock. Ranma shielded his eyes from the catastrophe, and when his vision cleared again he found himself in the same chamber as before, the globe now absent of course. He clenched his fingers so hard that they cracked from tension, then turned and walked back the way he'd came to retrieve his possessions.

"All that remains is the leader, huh? Well… it's been a long time coming, but the end is in sight. Soon, this nightmare will be over…"

Retrieving his gear had proved easier than Ranma had dared hope- given that the entity he'd just defeated was apparently the second-in-command, not to mention directly controlling everything around here, its death had evidently plunged the place into to chaos. Or maybe there was some other reason- it didn't matter to Ranma, all that mattered was retrieving his weaponry and putting an end to this nightmare at last. After he had what he wanted, he returned to the Black Earth's chamber- there was something about the place that warranted investigation. And Ranma was soon grateful that he had done so; tucked away in a previously concealed chamber behind an automated door was a teleportation pad, which according to the controls was connected to one in the throne chamber. And what place was more likely to house the overlord he had been summoned to slay? Without hesitation, Ranma hopped on and had been whisked away in the blink of an eye. Blinking to clear his eyes -was this something that always happened or was it just because he wasn't used to it?- he then stared around the chamber.

To put it bluntly, the throne room wasn't as he had expected. In fact, with the exception of a great orb of some dark, glassy material that was positioned at the end of a weirdly-shaped branch-thing that dropped from the roof in the center of the chamber, the place was blank and devoid of ornamentation. He walked cautiously around the orb to see the throne itself, and promptly stared in disbelief. There, seated on a massive throne crafted from intricately interlaced metal and bones, was the blade-helmed hunter that had attacked him in the town.

"You!? YOU'RE the master? The enemy lord I was called here to destroy?!"

"Not...Master...only...servant" The hunter barely whispered its answer in a voice that was strained and decidedly inhuman as it slowly rose from the throne, focusing its dulled blue eyes on Ranma, "Only...servant...and slave." The hunter approached, picking up its weapon from a nearby rack as it continued to rasp, "Show you...the way...if freed...if Pact true." Then with a challenging roar, the hunter charged, weapon raised in a deadly two-handed strike.

Ranma leapt aside as the axe-head slammed into the ground where he had been standing, deliberately and against his instincts not retaliating.

"Free you? How?"

"Defeat...yet not kill...take the key"

It lashed outwards, Ranma desperately leaping, ducking and diving to evade being cleaved in half. Still, the thing was clearly trying to hold back -perhaps despite itself- as its strikes lacked the speed and sureness with which it had fought in their previous encounters.

"Yeah, but how do I defeat you? Tell me how and I'll do it!"

"Thunder...Ball...ride...the lightning..."

Well, that was clear as mud. Ranma skipped back to avoid one downward strike from his opponent, then stepped forward and grabbed the weapon's handle so that when the hunter drew it back, it propelled Ranma over its head. Ranma landed neatly and conjured up a Bolt, blasting it straight in the face with coruscating power. Sparks sizzled and flashed across its body before it shook its head and turned around.

"Not... enough. Not... enough..." it groaned, then surged forward with the sort of speed it had used in their previous encounters. Ranma yelped and leapt back- only to find himself pressed against the glass orb-thing. Now how the hell had he maneuvered himself into that position? Ranma didn't have time to think about it, instead diving for cover as a sideward stroke came whistling towards him- and promptly struck the orb with a glassy chime. Ranma blinked and looked up to see the weapon had adhered to the orb's unscratched surface like an iron filling to a magnet, and the hunter was grunting with the strain of trying to pull it free. As Ranma blinked at the tableau, a bolt of inspiration struck him.

'Orb... ball... thunder- that's it!' Quick as lightning he blasted the orb with a Bolt spell. The results were quite cinematic; the orb surged into brilliant life and coils of electricity blasted up the hunter's weapon into his body. The hunter screamed with pain as he was outlit by a writhing aura of sparks before he suddenly shot away from the orb like a bullet out of a gun. The orb went dark again as the hunter struggled to its feet -Ranma could swear he caught sight of some strange, undulant aura of darkness coiling about its form- and then attacked Ranma again. It didn't matter though; now Ranma knew what he had to do to set the hunter free.

Of course, knowing what he had to do and actually managing to do it -not to mention surviving the attempt- were two very different things. As the battle progressed, the hunter began reviving some of its old tricks and even pulled a few new ones out of its hat- like spinning its weapon so fast it became a blur and then hurling it at Ranma like a boomerang. That trick turned out to be blessing in very heavy disguise though, as it turned out Ranma could then charge the orb and the weapon would be drawn to it before flying back to its master with a lethal dose of electricity. Ranma's stamina was not inexhaustible however, and the strain was beginning to wear him down by the time he delivered the fourth electrocution.

"Damn it, how much of this can you take?" he complained, ducking behind the opposite side of the orb for shelter. From behind him came the sound of teleportation, and he simultaneously dove aside and charged the orb. This time, Ranma had to deal with what had to be the hunter's last trick; constant teleportation while lashing out with powerful thrusts and slashes. The attacks came from everywhere and Ranma knew that he would have to do something fast if he was going to get out of this alive! Then as the hunter prepared to attack from the rear, Ranma whirled and with the strongest kick he could deliver, forced the spearhead to smash into the orb. The scream that filled the chamber was horrific, but Ranma saw the black aura finally writhe and break apart before the hunter collapsed to his knees, breathing hard as Ranma stayed in a ready position, expecting anything. Anything but a faint chuckle.

"Thank you human, for releasing me. Pact true?" The hulking humanoid held out its bleeding hand, before Ranma nodded and cut his own, "Yeah, pact true." With a faint surge of energy, the hunter got to its feet before bowing low, holding out an object before speaking in a normal voice, "Take this, behind the throne is a secret passage that leads to the Inner Sanctum, the true seat of power for the Realm."

Ranma nodded, and took the object, which turned out to be another blade-shaped key. Ranma pocketed the key and bowed to the hunter before walking to the throne to find the secret passage. The secret passage turned out to be an elevator that Ranma quickly boarded and started descending. The elevator ride down was quiet, save for the sound of Ranma's breathing and the beating of his heart. But as the elevator traveled deeper into the heart of the space station, he noticed that the shaft was now transitioning from high-tech, to medieval, before the shaft began to become more and more demonic before with a lurch, the elevator stopped in a chamber of black iron and granite with burning fires lining the chamber before a huge gate. As Ranma approached the gate, he noticed that before the gate was an obsidian pedestal and walked over to investigate. There on the pedestal were several indentations, some of them already filled and above were the words "Nine Evils will open the way to darkness."

Ranma stared at the three items that were already placed there; a shield, a strange crest and a coat of arms before pulling out the other items; the two keys, the medallion, the two crystals and the medal before placing them into their correct positions.

Once the last item had been placed, a loud clanking began to fill the room as the gates slowly swung open as an ice cold wind flowed into the room and the light dimmed considerably, even with the blazing infernos lining the room. Ranma took a breath and approached the gate to look out at the darkness beyond and steeling himself, walked into blackness.

Ranma didn't know how long he had been walking in the gloom, or if he was even going anywhere. As he walked, he felt as though something was watching him and stopped to look around in the darkness that his lamp wasn't up to the challenge of penetrating. Finally he heard a loud, evil laugh fill the air as numerous glowing eyes appeared to stare mockingly at him. "Poor little human... Are you lost? Do you need directions to find me? Fear not, little human, for you have found me." The floor suddenly began to shift and Ranma realized that he was standing on his enemy! "Yes, little human, I am this chamber and its sole occupant. And now… I will kill you." Ranma barely had time to jump backwards as beams of energy suddenly speared the ground.

The next five minutes were a chaotic, discordant nightmare as Ranma hit his enemy with everything he had, pumping every single bullet and shell he had into the unresisting darkness, hurling spells and striking out desperately with every melee weapon he had acquired over his long, bloody trek across the island. But it was no use; how do you fight something that was everywhere and nowhere at once?

The all-encompassing darkness absorbed bullet and spell with equal indifference, and his weapons couldn't strike what wasn't solid. He was about to withdraw the Orochi Blade for a last, desperate attempt when a tendril of shadow whipped out of nowhere, slapping the katana from his grasp and throwing him to the ground. Ranma pushed himself upright, only to come under the ungentle ministrations of a swarm of umbral limbs. Tentacles crushed and lashed, fists pounded, claws raked, jaws bit, and all in all Ranma was flung all about the room until finally the Dark One tired of toying with him and allowed his bloody body to collapse onto the floor.

"Poor, poor little human. To come so far and yet to fail. But do not fear little human, do not cry, for you will soon see those you love and those you hate again as I rip their souls from their bodies and string them in front of you to watch as I play with them." The darkness began to swirl and Ranma saw the shadows form a giant needle, "But first… I need something little human; I need a gate, and the best gates are made from flesh… so it's time to die little human, and die and die and die for all eternity."

It all looked hopeless... and then, Ranma remembered something. He remembered the Showstopper pistol he had received from the Gunslinger, and more importantly he remembered the Curtain Call bullet he had also been given. The Showstopper could slay any creature, the book had said. Could it have been telling the truth? Even if it hadn't, what did Ranma have to lose? He fished for the two items, ignoring the protests of his agonized body, and finally managed to load the bullet. With the last of his strength, he aimed it at the thickest patch of shadows and fired.

The bullet darted into the shadows like a streak of lightning, prompting a wail of such pain, hate and rage that it was indescribable, the darkness writhing, seething, undulating frantically before, with a final hollow whine, they exploded in pure, absolute, searing white light.

Ranma jerked awake and looked around frantically to find himself in a white room and lying on a soft bed. His guns and other weapons were gone, even his spell-seeds were gone. Ranma climbed out of bed to find that instead of the clothes he had been traveling in for who knew how many days or weeks, he was wearing his original silk clothing. A click brought Ranma's attention to the open door and he walked through, ready for anything. Walking down a white corridor on what appeared to be white carpeting, Ranma looked out the various windows to see a view of mist-shrouded mountains beyond a lake before he came to a door and confidently opened it. There, sitting at a table and sipping a cup of tea, was the ghostly child he had first seen in the ruined hospital.

"YOU!" Rushing over to the table, Ranma grabbed the child and started shaking it, "Alright, I want some fucking answers and I want them now!" The child simply appeared nonchalant under its robes as it spoke in musical, reverberating voice, "And answers you shall have, now release me and be seated." Ranma snarled, but did as he was told before the ghostly child poured itself another cup, "Tea?" Ranma shook his head as the ghost began. "You were chosen by the original ruler of this Void Realm to purge it of an enemy that threatened not only his territory, but also wished to enslave Earth." Ranma frowned, "I know that, but what the hell is a Void Realm, and why was I chosen?"

The ghost sighed, "The spell that chose you was interrupted, and thusly its parameters were scrambled. Instead of a powerful fighter that could be manipulated into serving the ruler had he survived, it chose the most stubborn and willful person it could find in its limited power. The degradation of your natural abilities was an unforeseen effect of the interrupted spell. As for what a Void Realm is; it is a pocket universe formed from a primordial and chaotic energy that exists between all realities. This place is a Void Realm, and one of the countless trillions that exist in a state of golden peace, or chaotic warfare. Realms come and go constantly, but this realm is tied to a world and thusly is anchored in place. This Void Realm is one that possesses a direct link to Earth, allowing for seamless travel without any need for costly magic rituals."

As the ghost spoke, Ranma listened and watched as images formed in the middle of the table before he sighed, "Okay, that works. But now I get to go home right?" The ghost nodded, "Yes, but there is a price." Ranma frowned as the ghost continued, "The portal cannot open unless you either relinquish your memories of this entire experience and all that you have gained in terms of weapons and magic." The ghost sighed, "Or… you accept the position as ruler of this Void Realm, and with it the responsibility to lead it in times of peace and defend it in times of war against all who would threaten it and the link to Earth."

Ranma didn't say anything as the ghost placed a pair of keys in front of Ranma, "The sun key will open the door and pronounce you as the new leader of this Realm, the moon key will open the gate and erase your memories of all that has occurred." Ranma looked at the keys, and made his decision.

The first thing that Ranma became aware of was a medley of sounds, the most prominent of which was a steady, regular beeping noise. He opened his eyes- and then quickly screwed them shut with a faint grunt of pain as the light proved too much for him. He opened them again, slowly this time, giving himself time to readjust to the light. As he did so, he made out that he was in a sterile room, a hospital bedroom to be precise. Weakly he pushed himself up with his hands.

"W-where...? How...?"

"Ranma! You're awake!" cried four feminine voices simultaneously, and before Ranma realized it Shampoo, Ukyo and Kodachi had all embraced him simultaneously, their usual antagonism forgotten in their moment of joy. Cut out of things, Akane fumed for a split-second, and then ran out the door.

Ranma normally would have struggled against the embraces he was feeling, but his weakness from being in a hospital bed for so long meant that he simply just let the girls hug him, and he found himself enjoying it a little, though he wouldn't admit it. He heard people approach and was half expecting his father but instead he saw a regal looking woman wearing a kimono and carrying a wrapped bundle that held all the hallmarks of a sword, who made a motion and the girls withdrew, reluctantly in Kodachi and Shampoo's cases as the woman drew close, and hugged him while whispering, "Hello son." Ranma blinked, "Son? Who are you?" The woman held back a sob, "I'm your mother, Nodoka."

Genma took that moment to enter the room, and though Ranma was expecting some spiel about looking like a weak girl, he simply nodded and said, "You'll need to get back up to speed after this little holiday of yours son." Ranma smirked with some of his usual bravado, "Sure, I was getting bored lying around all the time." The woman shuddered in her hug and Genma frowned, "The doctors talked to me, they said there were a few matters they had to discuss with you for some reason."

Ranma nodded, "Can I talk to them now then?" Genma grunted as he and the woman that might be Ranma's mother left the room, along with the fiancees, though Akane punched him lightly on the shoulder and said, "Baka, don't scare people like this again" with a light hearted smile that Ranma simply had to smile in reply to. The doctors were nervous when they entered and the one that they obviously chose to speak for them cleared his throat.

"Let's get to the point Mr. Saotome. During your incapacitation and resulting stay here, we detected what can only be described as...anomalies in your condition over the last few weeks." Ranma was confused, "Anomalies doc?" The doctor nodded, "Here's the short list." He then proceeded to list everything that they had recorded while Ranma was unconscious and once they were done stared at him as though anticipating an answer. They didn't receive one, unless a dazed, somewhat disbelieving look from Ranma counted.

The doctors assured Ranma that the anomalies would not be released to his parents, fiancées or even the local doctor, Ono Tofu. They also told Ranma that only he could give permission for access to the records, which would be placed in a special records vault for that purpose. To the public, Ranma Saotome was incapacitated officially by an esoteric martial arts technique. Satisfied with that information, Ranma was rapidly released and was led to the lobby of the hospital.

The doors swung open and Ranma walked out into the light of a new day, along with the motley pack that had been waiting for him in the lobby. His father, the woman who claimed to be his mother, the Tendos, Shampoo and Cologne, Ukyo, Kodachi and even Ryoga (who had mumbled something about having wandered there by accident). As they set off towards their respective goals, Ranma had the strangest feeling he was being watched. He turned in the direction he had sensed the presence coming from, and the crowd unconsciously parted to reveal a tall gaijin in a black business suit and sunglasses. The gaijin was looking straight at him, and smiling a shark-like grin, and when Ranma looked at him he lazily raised a hand to his temple in an informal salute. As he did so, his lips peeled back from his teeth, which even at this distance were much sharper than was normal, and his glasses slipped just enough for Ranma to catch a glint of red. Then the crowd surged again and, when Ranma could see clearly again, the man was gone.

"Hey, Ranma, are you coming?"

With one hesitant look back, Ranma quickly caught up.

_And the story is over. We were aiming for a mystery ending, and we hope we've succeeded. Now that Shadows & Blood is over, we'll wait a week or so and then count up your votes- the project with the most will be the one we focus our attention on next._


	11. Chapter 11

**Shadows & Blood**

_Disclaimer: Neither Gideon020 nor I own Ranma ½ or any related characters in any way, shape or form. The Realm of Dark Skies, and all attendant characters/concepts, is our mutual creation and thus legally ours. Note: set late 6th season of the anime, like all my works._

**Author's Notes:** Reading over the reviews for the fic, we noticed that several readers wanted the ending of Shadows and Blood to be more defined. Did Ranma lose his memory? Did he accept rulership of the Realm of Dark Skies? Gideon020 and I supposed that the ending we gave made it seem unclear, and that was the whole point. For those who want a defined ending, we hope this satisfies you.

Epilogue: Revelations

It was a week since Ranma had woken up in his hospital bed, and things were finally more-or-less back to normal. The unofficial truce his love-interests had forged had pretty much fallen apart- though technically it had done so about three days ago, when they'd demolished his mother's house and forced the entire Saotome family to move back into the Tendo home. Ranma hadn't seen Kuno at all since he woke up- and when he'd finally paid Nabiki for answers he'd found out that Kuno had left Nerima sometime after the 'incident' for a Kendo competition. Nabiki had been vague, but basically Kuno hadn't come back to Nerima yet, and Ranma had decided to just enjoy the time without the sword-waving buffoon's usual antics.

"I'm going out." he called to Kasumi. Akane and Nabiki were both out, Soun was at some council meeting, and his parents were... Ranma quickly skipped away from that line of thought.

"Be back in time for dinner." Kasumi answered.

"I will."

He leapt easily over the wall, finally back to his full strength, and walked away down the road. When he was sure he was far enough away, he ducked into a deserted alley.

Whistling a nameless tune, Ranma held out his right hand and focused. After several seconds he was rewarded with his forearm splitting open to disgorge a stream of blood into the air, "Never gonna get used to this." The blood reformed after hovering in the air for a split-second into a key with a sun at the end of it before Ranma said an alien word, "Nugga-ros'Dar." With a faint chiming, the key began to spew dark mist that began to fill the alley, eventually covering Ranma and hiding him from view. A wind blew through the alley just then, and when the mist was gone, so was Ranma.

For Ranma, the mist cleared to place him in the middle of a familiar town square.

"I gotta say, this place looks better when it isn't on fire or half-torn down. Thing is... where am I supposed to go?" Ranma's musings were interrupted by the roars of a motorcycle, and he sprang effortlessly onto the top of a nearby pagoda -when had that been put there?- as the Dark Rider screeched to a halt mere inches away from where he had been.

"Heh, yer jumpier than a frog on a hotplate. What took ya so long?"

"Can ya blame me? I thought you were gonna run me over. And don't blame me for being late- this is the first chance I've got to come back here. So... what exactly am I supposed to do here?"

"Yer askin' the wrong guy 'bout that. There's someone ya needs ta talk to- jus' head up to th' top'a th' mountain. You'll find her."

With that said, he gunned his cycle and roared away. Ranma looked towards the mountain, visible even from here.

"Well, 's'not so hard. I've been waiting for a chance to stretch my wings again." Concentrating on the shape of the winged monstrosity, Ranma took to the sky and flapped off towards his goal.

Some time later...

"Razzafrazzin'... climb the mountain, he says. Doesn't tell me that there's winds strong enough to pluck an ostrich and the damn thing's taller than it looks. How the hell did it do that? Feels like I've climbed 500 miles already." Ranma grumbled, claws digging into the rock as he laboriously hauled himself aloft. Finally, his groping claw found empty space and he pulled himself onto the plateau, wheezing with exertion and gasping for air.

Ranma looked around at the partially constructed mansion at the peak of the mountain and the beginnings of other constructions and whistled, "Damn, not bad. I wonder what all this is for?"

A faint clicking of mechanical legs brought Ranma's attention to a robed and hooded figure supported by eight mechanical spider legs. The figure stopped and spoke with what was unmistakably a child's voice, namely a little girl, "I see you have made it here my lord. I trust that there were no difficulties is reaching this place?"

Ranma snorted, "No, no, the mountain climbing was just what I needed."

The figure ignored the sarcasm in the statement, "Follow me please."

Ranma shrugged and followed the robed girl into the partially constructed mansion, "So. Who exactly are you?"

The girl turned slightly, deftly avoiding running into a beam as she did so, "My real name has been forgotten, but I am now known as The Seer. I was originally the advisor for the previous ruler, until his arrogant optimism that no harm would come to the realm spelled the end of his family's rule. Now I am to serve as your advisor in all matters of the Realm, and also serve as your proxy in terms of authority."

Ranma nodded, "So you can take care of things while I'm not here? That's pretty good."

The robed girl nodded, "True, but it is best that you actually learn how to run things here yourself. One cannot be a good ruler without knowing how to rule properly."

Ranma looked confused, "I have to learn stuff?"

The robed girl nodded again, skirting around a table while still turned towards him, "Of course, and unlike your schooling, this is not something you can sleep through. I have been entrusted with ensuring you learn to rule this Realm of Dark Skies with a measure of skill and that means ensuring you learn all that has to be learned."

Ranma sighed, "All right, I guess it can't hurt to learn this stuff."

The robed girl turned, apparently satisfied, "Just do your best regardless."

The pair came to a partially constructed office as the girl continued, "Thankfully, government here is based around an interconnected but independent series of administrators. You won't have to worry about little things like how much it costs to arm a soldier and power regulation, but instead you will be learning to view the big picture and make decisions that the administrators can work with, once we actually get some in office that is." Indicating a nearby screen with a small hand the girl continued, "This screen will be the one key element to your rule. With it you can access all the relevant information you require to make your decisions."

Ranma nodded, "Seems simple enough."

The girl giggled, a sound made all the more eerie by how normal it sounded. "Actually, this is just one of the twelve separate screens you will be learning how to utilize."

Ranma winced, "Okay, maybe not so simple."

The girl laughed at that.

Ranma ran his hand through his hair, "Okay, so how long is this going to take? I need to get back for dinner and everyone'll get suspicious if I don't show up."

The girl waved a hand dismissively, "No need to worry, you won't be learning anything until the end of the school year and weekends anyway. Besides, this place won't be finished until after your confirmation."

Ranma raised an eyebrow, "Confirmation?"

The robed girl nodded as she started striding on her mechanical spider legs down another corridor, Ranma jogging slightly to keep up, "Correct. Simply possessing the Sun Key is not a mark of confirmed leadership here. In fact it is a placeholder for the real key, the Master Key." Ranma nodded, "That makes sense, but how do I receive this 'Master Key'?" The girl turned slightly, "At the confirmation ceremony, which we will be performing now, while you still have time to avoid suspicion from your friends and family."

Ranma shrugged, "I could just tell them."

**"No! Never tell anyone about the realm unless you are willing to allow them in!"**

Ranma's pigtail stood straight up from the sheer power of the girl's shout. Once she stopped screaming, he wiggled a finger in each of his ears to clear them.

"Oookay, and why can't I just tell them regardless of letting them in or not?"

The girl was now radiating a dark aura as she answered, "All Void Realms are places of great power, and great danger. For those reasons, a realm master can only tell another about their realm if they are willing to allow them to enter the realm, and face the dangers that are always present there.

Ranma nodded, "Okay, I understand that. So how does this confirmation ceremony work?"

The girl turned to face the direction they were now walking, "You're about to find out. We're here."

The girl reached out with her hand and gently brushed the wall, opening a circular void of swirling, dark-hued colors. Without hesitation she stepped through, and Ranma followed her. On the other side was an ornate, circular chamber, the ceiling high above. Around the walls were a plethora of names, sigils and images, and the whole locale had a feeling of ancient authority.

"W...what is this place?"

"This...is the heart of Nugga-ros'Dar. It was here that the first lord, and all who came after him, have sworn the Oath of Leadership and forged their ties with the land. It is here that you must perform that most ancient and potent of ceremonies."

"Okay- what do I do?"

"Repeat after me..."

"I, Saotome Ranma, so swear this oath to take up the mantle of leadership and declare myself ruler of this Realm of Dark Skies. I swear to lead in times of wealth and poor, to ensure that those who would seek my protection may thrive in peace and in war, that I will fulfill all tasks that may be required of me. For I am One with the Land and the Land is One with its Lord, and so it mote it be throughout the endless twists of time and fate."

Ranma finished the oath, listening to his words reverberate around the chamber, but there was no reaction... not until the echo had died away. There was strange sort of heaviness in the air, of emotions emanating from the very rocks, and then the Sun suddenly pulled itself from Ranma's grip and vanished in a faint burst of sparks. A bolt of lightning suddenly lashed out, striking the palm of his right hand and burning the image of a key tipped with a sort of X-shape emblazoned over a flame onto it. Ranma stared at it dumbfounded, whereupon the Seer spoke up.

"You need not fear discovery- no native of Earth may see the Master Key, save for when you invoke its power. Now, we must leave this place, for you have much to see and hear before you may return to Earth."

Ranma nodded, still staring at the mark in his hand as the pair left the chamber. Once back in the partially constructed mansion, Ranma looked a little more closely at his surroundings, before noticing a familiar suit of armor in a display case…

"Hey, I think I've seen that armor before."

The girl turned slightly, "You should recognize it. This entire mansion compound is being built from the remains of the Black Ark, the former seat of power of the old rulers. Soon, it will be completed and made into a mighty fortress, for our new lord deserves no less." Ranma nodded as the two backtracked to the office, "But first, before you return to your home, I must bring your attention to an important matter."

They entered the office as Ranma asked, "What important matter?"

The robed girl turned to him, "The remnant forces of the defeated Enemy have now petitioned to have their old contract given over to you. This means no less than 600,000 Cleaners, 40,000 Dolls and 4000 Depravers will become part of our remaining forces."

Ranma frowned, "Wait...Weren't they the enemy?"

The girl shook her robed head, "Not quite. You see, while the Dolls wishing to join us is unprecedented, since they were enemy technology, Depravers and Cleaners are mercenaries; they go where the money is. If you accept their petition to transfer the contract, you will have an experienced and dedicated force of fighters on hand almost immediately since it will take several days to make the arrangements for the transferal. Thankfully, I can handle such duties."

The girl passed Ranma a sheet of paper, "Simply sign at the bottom if you find this petition acceptable, along with your new personal seal, on the table."

Ranma read over the paper, noting that it was businesslike, with no real compliments or anything, 'Not that I need that junk.' Nodding to himself, Ranma simply grabbed a pen and signed before grabbing the seal and stamping it in the appropriate spot before handing it back to the girl, who nodded, "I'll get to work then. I expect you here on the weekend for your first lessons." Ranma nodded and with only a small amount of focus to pin down his destination, he vanished from the office.


End file.
